The Courtship of Richard Castle
by Griever11
Summary: Sequel to 'Wrong'. Beckett finally makes a decision regarding her relationship with Castle.
1. Conversations

In which after the events of 'Wrong', Beckett and Castle talk about each other. But not with each other. Because that is how they roll.

**Conversations**

00000

His lips are soft against hers, gentle yet insistent. His hands are ghosting down her sides, gripping her, preventing her from reaching for her side arm. She nips on his bottom lip, seeking permission and her hands – oh, it's like she had no control over them, her fingers weaving through his hair, clutching his bicep, pressing herself so close. Her tongue touches his as he finally relents and she crowds into his space, deliciously –

_Wait_.

Beckett jolted awake, sweating, her heartbeat racing a mile a minute. She groaned in frustration, reached behind her head, pulled her pillow from beneath it and squished it over her face. She yelled into the soft material. Goddamn kiss. Goddamn warehouse. Goddamn Castle.

Castle and his dumb idea infiltrated her dreams almost every night, causing her to more often than not wake up in a state of utter desperation and dissatisfaction. At least when Josh was still around, she'd had some form of release. Granted, it was a release laced with so much guilt – but it was a release nonetheless and now she didn't even have that.

Castle's uncharacteristic burst of emotion at the precinct nearly a week ago hadn't helped matters much either. Her admission – and his, she supposed, had sent her subconscious into overdrive, conjuring up so many different kinds of resolutions to that evening, none of them even close to what really happened, and all of which involved some form nudity. Hot, sweaty …

Huh. Nope, not going there again.

She pulled the pillow from her face and tossed it haphazardly across the room and reached instead for her cell phone on her side table.

_Lanie – be decent in an hour. I'll bring breakfast. –Kate. _

00000

It took her slightly more than an hour but by ten past ten, she was waiting in front of Lanie's door, balancing a tray of coffee in one hand and clutching a paper bag of pastries in the other. She tapped her knuckles against the wood, careful not to jostle the pastries within the bag and stepped back.

The door was flung open almost immediately, revealing her best friend standing on the other side rubbing a towel against her still damp curls.

"Hey hon'," Lanie said as she stepped aside to let Kate in. "You're late, you know."

"Yeah, I went to see Maddy first – she was busy so I had to settle for the second class best friend," Beckett deadpanned.

"Oh babe, you _wish_ Maddy's got time for your sorry ass," Lanie scoffed from behind her. "I've heard she's gotten busier since that 5-star review from that food critic."

"Yeah, only saw her twice in the last month. I got us some stuff from the bakery downstairs, by the way. Non- fancy cappuccino for you, fancy latte for me."

"I love you so much right now," Lanie crooned as she took her coffee, sipping it and gesturing vaguely towards her kitchen. "Put the other stuff over there, I'll be there in a second." She disappeared into her bathroom, presumably to put her towel back.

Beckett moved towards the kitchen, her eyebrow arching as she spotted something inappropriate from the corner of her eye. Shrugging, Beckett fished a bear claw out of the bag and made her way back to the living room, settling down onto the couch. She'd been there often enough to feel comfortable, but his time round she could noticed that there had been slight changes; the effects of having a steady boyfriend hanging around.

A picture of Lanie and Esposito stood on top of her liquor cabinet, both smiling cheerily at the camera. A black … _thing _was sitting next to her DVD player, probably some sort of game console that the boys insisted on playing with every weekend. A car magazine lay half open on her coffee table – all of the things that hadn't been there before the birth of _Esplanie_.

Oh, if Castle knew she was using that term she'd never hear the end of it.

She absent-mindedly thought back to a time when Josh was still around and bit her lip as she realised that even with the length of time they'd been together, her apartment had been significantly devoid of any of his things. She remembered running after him once just after he'd left her apartment to hand him the leather jacket that he'd forgotten to take home. He'd been slightly amused and said something about her keeping it, but she had insisted on giving it back.

Her eyes scanned the room once more and spotted a man's jacket draped across the back of one of the chairs in the kitchen area. Obviously Lanie didn't have the same aversion to clothing being left behind as she did.

Beckett's eyes widened in realisation as she put two and two together. _That_ explained the thing she'd seen earlier.

As if on cue, both the door to her bedroom and the bathroom opened, and suddenly there were three people in the living room.

"Yo, Beckett," the Hispanic man greeted her with a large smile on his face, instantly making his way to the bag of food.

"I'm so glad you decided to put some pants on before coming out today," Lanie said drily as she shoved her boyfriend aside in an attempt to get to the food first.

"Um, hi."

Beckett's greeting was lost among the bickering in the kitchen. Apparently both had been eyeing the same Danish pastry and neither was willing to give up their hold on it.

As she got up to see if she could settle the argument (there were other pastries in there after all), she realised their bickering had descended into mere whispers. Half a minute later, Esposito strutted out, Danish pastry in hand, grinning widely at her.

"I'm gonna go shoot some hoops with the boys. If you two start pillow fighting, take some pictures, kay?"

Beckett rolled her eyes and waved. "I'll see you around, Esposito."

For as long as Beckett could remember, Lanie had been amazing at reading between the lines. As it turned out, her ability hadn't diminished over the years, and she'd been able to tell that Beckett's visit was more of a 'I need to talk to someone' kind than the 'Lets hang out and do nothing all day' type. Beckett guessed that she'd bribed Esposito into leaving by relinquishing her rights over breakfast.

"This better be good, I got stuck with a custard puff," Lanie groused, confirming Beckett's assumption.

"I'm going to say things are going really good for the two of you," Beckett said, nodding towards the magazine on the table. Yup, definitely no sign of any form of side-stepping the topic there. None at all.

Lanie saw right through her but held off on commenting on it. She pulled bottom lip between her teeth and nodded. "Yeah, it's goin' good."

"I'm happy for you, Lanie. I don't know if I've ever told you that."

"Hey hey, it's not like we're getting married yet – hold your horses there," Lanie smacked Beckett's arm lightly as she finished the last of her coffee.

"Still, you've got that thing – "

"Playstation. He insists on it being here if he stays the weekends." Lanie said with a hint of disdain in her voice. Beckett chuckled.

"You've got that _Playstation_ here, and he's … I'm just happy you're happy." She said, squeezing the other woman's hand.

"Are _you_ happy?" Lanie asked, and Beckett knew her time for stalling was up. "I heard about the fight that you don't seem to want to talk about, I'm going to guess it wasn't pretty."

Beckett studied her Lanie's face, trying to gauge how much she really knew. She hadn't talked to Castle since that night. They'd stayed outside for a few minutes before he apologised for making a mess in the bullpen and he'd followed her back into the precinct to help her clean it up. It had taken them about twenty minutes, but it had been twenty minutes of pure silence, only broken with the occasional 'Where do you want this to go?' as they replaced the things that had fallen to the ground.

Beckett remembered being jittery the morning after his outburst, wondering if their dynamic at work would change, knowing the things they knew about one another – but he hadn't shown up that morning. Or even the morning after that. By then, the entire precinct had heard about the screaming match they'd had that night, although thankfully they had the decency to refrain from mentioning it. In front of her anyway.

On the third day, she received a text message from him and while it hadn't been ideal, it had calmed her down somewhat.

_I'm not avoiding you. Have lots of Heat Rises promo details to deal with. Would rather be at the precinct, but you know how it goes. _

She'd sent off a quick reply about understanding and had had no contact from him since then. Before she knew it, she'd gone a whole week without seeing him.

"It wasn't pretty, no."

"Wanna tell me what it was about?"

She hesitated, blew her hair out of her face and began. This was why she was here for after all.

She told Lanie about keeping the break up from him, the text from Josh, the bad mood Castle had been in. Everything. It spilled from her mouth unfiltered, uncensored and it felt really good. She told her about the outburst, the broken glass – storming out, chasing after him.

And then she told her about her confession.

At which point Lanie, who up till then had remained politely silent and understanding, squealed so loudly that Beckett swore the windows were going to shatter.

"No. Freakin'. Way!"

Lanie's eyes were wide in excitement, her fingers digging deep into the couch cushions. Beckett sighed and rolled her eyes. She'd expected this.

"I haven't seen him since then, Lanie. He hasn't called, only texted once, and we don't have a case and I just … I don't know what to do," she finished.

"Oh, homegirl – you're such an adorable idiot," Lanie said as she pulled her into a hug.

"Thanks … I think," Beckett muttered into her friend's shoulder. "It's not even the worst part though."

Lanie let her go and cocked her head to the side enquiringly.

"I dream about him. It's horrible. I dream about him, about our kiss, and then I wake up and it's just so bad – I just … I mean, it's good – the dreams, they're good dreams. It's waking up that's bad. Waking up and facing the fact that he _knows_ how I feel and I don't know how he feels – oh what? Don't look at me like that."

"Honey, you do know how he feels. Don't be silly."

"I know how he feels about me, I don't know how he feels about my feelings about him," she explained lamely. Even to her ears, it sounded ridiculous. He'd told her he would wait forever after all. How else could one interpret that?

"That's bullshit – and by that look on your face, I know you know its bullshit. So what now?"

"I was hoping you could tell me," she answered with an apologetic look on her face.

Beckett knew she'd done the right thing by telling him she wasn't ready. She knew that. She was still sort of fresh out of a break up from a relationship that had lasted longer than most relationships she'd ever been in and it wasn't fair to either one of them for her jump into another one straight away.

"I think the best thing you can do is to figure out where your head is at in relation to that heart of yours and go from there. There's no point in doin' anything when you don't know what you want yet."

"But I know what I want."

"You're _kidding_ me."

"I just don't know _when_ I want it."

"Duh, obviously at night, when you're makin' kissy faces with your pillow thinkin- HEY!"

A cushion flew towards her face and she barely had enough time to deflect it. Beckett was glaring at her, her eyes narrowed and dangerous.

"That information was not meant to be used against me, Doctor Parish."

"So why tell me, Detective Beckett? You know how much I want you and that man together. I've got a lot riding on you two knockin' boots by the end of the year. Just make sure he doesn't change his mind about you, and I'll split my winnings 70-30."

Lanie saw a look of horror cross her friend's face and regretted her choice of words immediately.

"… He won't change his mind, right?" Beckett choked out.

And there it was, Beckett realised. _That_ there was the heart of her problem. She was afraid that he would change his mind about waiting while she was busy trying to get her feelings in check.

"What if he only said it because of the heat of the moment, or adrenaline, whatever? What if he woke up the next day and decided that I'm not … "

"Girl, slow down."

"No, Lanie. He's wanted to leave so many times. That time when he snooped around my mother's files and I told him to leave, he was ready to go then. When I shot Coonan he said he'd leave if I wanted him to. Then I was with Tom, and … it was going to be our last case – and then he left for the Hamptons. And after that, after our first case back together this year if I said I didn't want him back with us, he would have left, Lanie. He's wanted to leave so many times – what if he really does this time?"

She was surprised how she managed to sound so calm. Inside, she was nearly hysterical. The realisation of how many times she'd come close to losing him for good hit her hard and she found herself having trouble breathing.

Lanie noticed this and reached out to her, grasping Beckett's hands. "The point is that he came back."

"Wha-at?"

"All those times he said he wanted to go – he stayed, didn't he?"

Yes, Beckett couldn't refute that. He definitely stayed. He stayed because she said he could. He stayed and watched her back, stayed and pushed and shoved her away from bullets, stayed and watched _her_ push him away, again and again, watched her parade Tom and Josh around the precinct, watched her … oh God.

Castle had told her as much that night, how he'd been content stepping back even if it meant that he had to watch her be happy with someone else, but she never realised how _often_ she did it. How often she'd cruelly shoved her apparent happiness in his face.

"I'm such a heartless bitch, Lanie."

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Kate. He's not totally blameless too," her friend said gently. "But I'm not going to lie, it's been very hard watching him this year. His heart broke every time you mentioned Josh, you know? He comes into the morgue when Josh stops by and just sits on my slab in silence. And you and I both know how hard it is for him to stay quiet."

Lanie took one look at Beckett's expression and backtracked, adding hastily, "But the point is he stayed. And I think he'll wait for you and stay for as long as you want him to."

Beckett nodded and slumped into the softness of the couch. She hadn't realised it at the time, but letting it all out, with someone so ready to listen was exactly what she needed. It was as if some heavy burden had been lifted from her chest and suddenly there was a strange clarity in her world she'd never been able to enjoy before.

Of two things she was sure of now, one being that Lanie was an absolute gem when it came to girl talk, and two, Richard Castle was worth it. _So_ worth it.

Lanie patted her thigh and curled up next to her, resting her head on Beckett's shoulder.

"I really like him," Beckett whispered.

"I _know _you do."

"He's really sweet some times."

"Yes, you've mentioned that."

"I need to fix this."

"Yes, you do."

"Love you, Lanes."

"Love you too, Kitty Cat"

Their laughs rumbled between them, momentarily enjoying the memories of the younger versions of themselves saying the exact same things to each other after their high school crushes broke their hearts. They stayed like that for a while, silent and curled up together on Lanie's couch.

"Just so you know, I'm not usually like this," Beckett murmured. "Like all I am is a mess of emotions and feelings and insecurity."

Lanie laughed.

"I'm going to put it out there and say it's about damn time you felt insecure about something though, honey. You were making us normal girls feel inadequate with all that self-confidence you're always swimming in. It's good to know that even the great Detective Beckett is susceptible to fits of womanly irrationality."

"I'm glad you find my distress amusing. I knew there was a reason you were my second class best friend."

"Huh. You're lucky I didn't call Castle and let him hear you confessing your undying love for him over the phone."

"You're lucky I didn't call you out on the dirty things you and Esposito were doing here last night – did you think I missed the bra sticking out from under there?" Beckett cocked her head to where she'd spotted the garment earlier.

Lanie blushed furiously, her eyes clenching shut in embarrassment as Beckett burst out in gales of laughter.

"Stupid man. I _told_ him to clean up."

00000

On the other side of town that same Saturday morning, Richard Castle woke up to the beep of his laptop running out of battery and realised that once again he'd fallen asleep amidst Nikki Heat and her various crime busting adventures.

The last few days had been spent among executive bigwigs at Black Pawn, hashing out promotional details for the latest Nikki Heat novel and it had taken a toll on him. It wasn't as though he didn't appreciate the work that went into it, he _did _benefit from these events after all, but he had still had the final edits of his book to go through, and not enough time to do them. So for the past week, his days consisted of big meeting rooms and stuffy office chairs, and his evenings were filled with corrections and edits for Heat Rises leaving him with barely enough time in between to get anything to eat.

He'd sent Beckett a short apologetic message the moment he found out he was going to be unable to see her for a few days and had received an equally short reply. The few times he had a gap of time for a call, he spent it talking to Alexis who was knee deep in finals and college applications.

Richard Castle couldn't remember another time when he'd been that busy.

He sat up and stretched, wincing as his back cracked. Oh, he definitely wouldn't be doing _that_ again anytime soon. He grabbed the cord dangling off the edge of his table and plugged it in as the screen winked out into blackness. He hesitated for half a minute, wondering if he should even bother to power the laptop back up, but shrugged as he left it charging and walked away to make himself a cup of coffee.

He picked up his cell phone from the desk, making a note to call Beckett later in the afternoon seeing as how it was the only day in the week when he was relatively meeting-free and finally had the time to do so. He stepped out of his study and made his way to his kitchen.

Alexis must have gotten up early; there already was a pot brewing, and not for the first time he thanked the powers that be for bestowing upon him the most perfect daughter a guy could ever have asked for. He heard the faint sounds of teenage chatter floating from down the hallway and he smiled to himself. And then he heard the voice of a man replying and he nearly choked on his coffee.

What the hell?

A minute of mad scrambling later, he found himself staring at his daughter in all her morning cheer, sharing what looked like his baby photos album with Ryan and Esposito. The three of them turned to him, shared a silent look with one another and burst out in another fit of laughter.

"Oh, c'mon Alexis, seriously?"

"The detectives insisted on waiting until you woke up so I had to entertain them. You were the one who taught me that there is nothing worse than being a bad host to your friends, dad," she shrugged carelessly and got up, replacing the album back on the shelf and walked towards him.

She hugged him and stepped back as she winked. "Good luck, dad."

He could only stare at her retreating back in confusion before his line of sight was blocked by the two detectives.

"Mornin' bro," Esposito drawled out, hands on his hips.

Ryan folded his arms across his chest and grunted, assuming what Castle could only interpret as Ryan's version of the 'tough guy' pose.

Yeah, Ryan couldn't really pull that off.

"What uh … what brings you two here on this fine Saturday morning?"

"Might wanna take a seat for this, Mr. Castle," Ryan said as he gestured to the couch.

Castle blinked.

_Mr._ Castle? Oh, this can't be good. That, coupled with the very dangerous looks they both were sending his way – scary. It had to be a dream. A sick, twisted dream that he had to quickly wake himself up from … nope, that pinch hurt. Not a dream.

"Uh, I'm fine standing, thanks."

"Haven't seen you around the precinct in a while, bro," Esposito said as he moved to stand closer to Castle. At least he was still calling him 'bro'; he was pretty sure 'bro' was a sign of affection and familiarity and that had to be some sort of a good sign.

"Uh, yeah. I've had Black Pawn business to deal with. I should be good to be back this week though."

The detectives exchanged a look and then narrowed their eyes at him.

"We're not here about that. We're here about The Incident," Ryan made air quotes in the air and leaned forward. "What have you got to say about that, huh, writer-boy?"

Castle sighed. Motives uncovered. Detectives Ryan and Esposito, Beckett's personal saviours and protectors, on a mission to castrate the man who had yelled so unprofessionally at her at the precinct. He grimaced inwardly. To be honest, he was mildly surprised they had waited a week before making the visit. He had to thread carefully here.

"I'm sorry for being unprofessional and for causing a scene?"

His innocent look was obviously failing as the two of them inched closer to him, identical menacing looks on their face. He took a step back and held his hands out in defence.

"Look, I sent Beckett a message! She knows why I've been missing – this isn't like the summer, I swear!"

"Word on the grapevine is that you had words with Beckett. _Loud_ words, Castle. And we don't like it when people have loud words with our boss. And then you don't show for a week, dude, that's low. Even for you." Esposito eyed him warily and sat down on the edge of the couch.

"Yeah, dude. Low."

Castle shot Kevin an exasperated look. "Seriously? I had meetings, you know for my _real_ job? Yes, I might have lost it that night, but we've sorted it out, and Beckett and I are fine, look I'll even text her and ask –"

"NO!" The both jumped up and snatched the phone from his hand.

Castle gaped at them bewildered.

"Uh, she's busy – "

"- with Lanie."

"Doing y'know, girl things."

"Yeah girl things. Don't wanna interrupt them braiding each other's hair or something, do ya, Castle?"

"… Dude, braids?"

"What? When Jenny's sisters come over that's what they do!"

Right. Castle smirked. It clicked. These two were on an _unsanctioned_ 'big brother' visit and it was sweet, really. But if Beckett knew they were trying to fight her fight, they'd be in so much trouble.

"We're fine, Beckett and I. There will be no more shouting at each other, I promise you," he smoothed over.

Castle leaned back against his book case, assessing the two detectives in front of him. They seemed satisfied with his assurances, but still looked as if they had more to say. Esposito especially, his eyes tracking Castle's movements as he would a suspect in interrogation. They both sat down begrudgingly on the couch and Castle settled himself on the chair opposite them.

"Where does Lanie think you are anyway?" Castle asked, trying to divert attention away from himself.

"Basketball. And that's where I was all morning, got it?"

"Sure."

They descended into silence before Esposito gave up his grave expression and grinned at him. "What did you tell her anyway, Castle? Unis on duty said that _feelings_ were discussed. Did you tell her that you want to make babies with her and that you love her and wanna kiss her – "

" – feed her, play with her, love her – "

"I already said that, bro."

"Yes but it deserves repeating, since his skull's so thick."

Castle wrinkled his nose at the two detectives. Sure, _now_ they were teasing him. Before, they looked as if they were on the verge of ripping his manhood out of his pants. He shuddered. Bad imagery. Time for a little payback.

He shrugged and sucked in a deep breath, as if he was preparing to make an important declaration.

"I'm telling you this because you're my friends – but this does not leave the room, okay?"

The two of them leaned forward eagerly hands on their knees, the sides of their heads almost touching. They were such _girls _for gossip.

"The thing is …" Castle bent forward, whispering scandalously. "Beckett and I …"

He paused for effect.

"Are none of your business."

Castle ran from the room before his words were registered by the other two men.

00000

**A/N:** Didn't like it? Yeah, I didn't quite like this either (although I'm hoping you disagree), but its nearly five thousand words in, with about another ten thousand more waiting to be edited and read through, I thought I might see if people respond to this. Updates to this piece should be fairly regular. And let me know if chapters need to be shorter. 'Cause I can work with that :)

In any case, last exam for the semester today! Yay!


	2. The Cake is a Lie

Mistakes are all mine. Castle is not.

**The Cake is a Lie**  
><em>In which Beckett tries to put moves on Castle. Tries, being the operative word.<em>

00000

For the second time in two days, Beckett found herself face to face with a wooden door. This one however, was more beautiful and solid than Lanie's had been and definitely housed a more extravagant living arrangement behind it. She raised her hand to knock, but stilled as she heard a loud scream from inside.

Her cop instincts went into high alert almost immediately, her hand coming to rest on her hip where her side arm usually rested. She found herself grasping at nothing but the material of her jeans as she realised she'd left her gun at home for this particular trip. She mentally cursed her decision, but just as she was about to try the door, she heard a distorted voice coming through, slightly muffled from where she was standing.

"_You will submit to the dark side, young Jedi!"_

"_No, NEVER! The dark side will never have me!" _

Beckett let out a grateful sigh as a wave of relief washed over her. She recognised both Alexis' voice and Castle's exaggerated impression of the Sith Lord. There was a clash of something from behind the door, and she heard someone curse –

"_Dad, no cursing. Jedi's don't curse."_

"_Jedi? I am no Jedi! I am Darth Vader, and I … am … your … father!" _

She didn't know how long she stood outside his door just listening, but when Beckett heard another loud shriek followed by a crash, she quickly knocked firmly on the door. The noises stopped instantly.

Two seconds later, she found herself taking a step back and blinking at the sudden bright red light shining in her eyes. The light tube hummed noisily and she narrowed her eyes at the lightsaber.

"Who dares interrupt – _oh_, Beckett!"

She was reminded of a time when she had been greeted similarly by a laser gun, and she smiled at the memory. It was times like these that she wished her father had been more like Castle when she was growing up. Beckett pushed the offending tube of light away from her face and Castle backed into the threshold.

"Hey, Castle."

"To what do I owe this lovely visit, dear Detective?"

His question lacked the teasing tone she had been expecting and she swallowed. She should have expected that her visit would be slightly awkward. She bit her lip nervously as she noticed his eyes studying her expectantly. He swiped a button on his weapon and the red light disappeared, blanketing the two of them in silence.

"Um, okay. Did we get a body?"

She shook her head. Oh God, why was she even here? Castle was staring quizzically at her now, the lightsaber dangling limply from his hand. At the back of her mind, Beckett realised that she'd heard Alexis as well and that the girl was still probably somewhere in the apartment.

"So, this is just a friendly visit then?" Castle tried again.

Make up an excuse Kate, anything will do, anything at all.

"I uh, haven't seen you in a while and – "

They both heard a rustle from behind them, and Castle whipped his hand up to silence her. Beckett sighed, somewhat annoyed. It seemed that her answer suddenly wasn't that important to him anymore. The red lightsaber in Castle's hand came back to life noisily as Castle nudged her towards the couch, simultaneously motioning for her to remain quiet. She rolled her eyes but played along with whatever he was up to and nodded. It _was _better alternative to trying to think up half-assed excuses for her impromptu visit.

He winked at her and crept towards the couch. He cleared his throat.

"Of _course,_ Beckett, why don't we just head to the _kitchen_ and …"

Castle leapt forward, swinging his weapon dangerously, resulting in a clumsy tumble past the couch. He struggled to remain upright as Alexis appeared seemingly out of nowhere and shoved her glowing purple lightsaber into her father's body.

"Hah! I win!"

"You were supposed to be behind the couch, you devious little punk!"

"Well, the next time you want to ambush me, dad, please remember that you're not Peter Pan, and that you actually have a _shadow_."

Alexis smirked at her father and turned to Beckett, still hovering uncertainly by the entrance. "Sorry for the chaos, Detective Beckett. Dad wouldn't let me leave until he got Vader out of his system."

The younger Castle made her way to the detective and enveloped her in a tight hug. Beckett brought her arms loosely around her and grinned into the girl's hair.

"Yeah, the nine year old making an appearance again, I see."

"Something like that. Anyway, now that I've won, I'm going to go see Ashley. _You_ can entertain him now," Alexis' eyes twinkled in mischief and she pulled away, turning back to give her kiss on his cheek. She grabbed a bag that had been hanging precariously on the edge of the table and made her way to the door. "Bye dad, bye Detective!"

She left without waiting for a reply, leaving the two adults standing alone among the mess of cushions.

"Huh, didn't think you'd buy Mace Windu's over Ben Kenobi's," she said arching her eyebrows at Alexis' now abandoned purple lightsaber. Castle made an unintelligible sound from behind her and Beckett knew she'd once again caught him by surprise by the level of her own 'geekiness'.

"They ran out of the blue ones and Alexis wanted one for her birthday," he said as he picked it up and placed both lightsabers back on their wall mounts. "I couldn't deny her."

"Whatever you say, Castle," her sceptical tone drew a grin and a wink from him and for a moment, Beckett allowed herself to believe that everything was alright again between them. Normal, easy, comforting – everything they had been before he dealt that enormous blow to her emotions.

"Anyway, what brings you here?"

Nope. She should have known it had been too easy.

He waved towards the couch and Beckett took it as a cue to sit down. He settled in hesitantly next to her, leaving plenty of space between them. Beckett sighed. Why was it so damned hard for her to just say what she wanted to say? Castle looked at her intently, obviously intrigued by her silence.

She opened her mouth to say something, but she couldn't find her voice. What was she supposed to say anyway? _Hey, Castle. I know I told you that I wasn't ready, and I'm not even sure that I am yet, but I just wanted to see you to make sure that you weren't changing your mind about waiting for me. _Yeah. That would go down _so_ well. She sucked in a breath, telling herself to just spit to out, damn the consequences.

In the end, it was Castle who spoke first. He ran his fingers through his hair and shot her a rueful smile.

"I've missed you, Detective. Meetings are boring, and a whole week of them? Absolute torture."

His tone was nonchalant and just slightly teasing this time, but she had always been able to read him like a book and looking at him then, she noticed his eyes were spinning a tale of their own. He looked confused, shy and hopeful all at the same time. His hands were draped lazily along the back of the couch in what looked like a relaxed pose, but the tension in his shoulders was obvious.

For two people who were so adamant about being each other's partners, they sure _sucked _when it came to communicating.

She placed her palms on her knees and curled her fingers back, fisting them on her thighs. She moved imperceptibly closer to him and avoided his intense gaze, instead fixing her eyes on his bookshelf in the distance. She remembered that night at the precinct more than a year ago after Coonan died, with Castle looking forlorn and upset and a variety of food spread out in front of her.

"Tell anyone and I'll kill you, but I kind of missed you too," she said softly.

There. She said it. She risked a glance to her side and rolled her eyes at his stunned expression. No, it wasn't as sweet as telling him she enjoyed his pigtail pulling, but the reaction she got from him was more or less the same one.

Castle was blinking wordlessly in surprise. It was obviously not what he had expected to hear, but judging by the shit eating grin that was splitting his face in two, he wasn't too upset by it. The arm he'd draped over the back of the couch slid forward and his fingers brushed against her shoulders.

Cheeky bastard.

"That's uh, good to know," he said as his hand got bolder and wrapped itself around her and giving her a gentle squeeze.

And it was in that moment that Beckett lost all the control she had over her body. She gave up the pretence of being oblivious to his shenanigans and she leaned in to bury her face in the area between his jaw and his shoulders, one hand squished between the them while the other came up to rest on his chest.

Whoa.

_Not_ what she had intended to do at all. Cuddling with Rick Castle was certainly not what she'd come to the loft for. Still, it felt oddly nice. And comforting. And just so … perfect.

"Beckett?" Castle whispered, as though he was afraid he'd break some unspoken rule if he'd spoken in his normal voice.

"Shut up, Castle, and just sit quietly for a while, okay?"

"Okay. I'm just - "

"Be quiet, Castle, I'm serious."

He had the decency to wait for half a minute before he spoke again. "Does this mean that you're … that you're, um …"

Castle faltered as he dug deep for the words that refused to come to mind, tightening his arms around her. He needn't have bothered though. They both knew what he was asking.

_Does that mean you're ready for 'us'? _

"I … don't think so. No," Beckett breathed out. Her hands clenched around the material of his shirt.

"Uh. Okay. Sure."

She could hear their hearts racing; feel his neck pulsing with every beat as she snuggled closer into his body. She knew she was being slightly unfair, she could only imagine what could have been going through his head then, the confusion, the uncertainty – pretty much everything that was currently going through _her_ own mind. But then again, it wasn't like either of them were complaining.

"It's just … it's just been a slow week," she offered lamely after a while. "That's all. This isn't a big deal."

The words slipped from her lips even before she had a chance to think about them. She felt his shoulders sag and she peered back up into his eyes, detecting the disappointment in them. She bit back a sigh of frustration – disappointment was definitely not what she had been aiming for.

Beckett groaned silently, trying to convey to him that she didn't actually mean what she just said, but the moment was clearly over. The arm resting across the back of her shoulders retreated and Castle nudged her, gently pushing her aside as he got up from the couch.

God damn it, why was she so _bad_ at this? One step forward, two steps back.

"I have some food in the fridge. Are you hungry?"

"No, not really, but I can eat," she said, not willing to leave his company just yet.

Castle nodded at her and strode purposefully towards his kitchen. With a heavy heart, Beckett followed him, replaying the last few minutes in her head with regret. There had been so many other things she could have told him and yet, she had gone with '_This isn't a big deal'_.

Lanie had been right. She really _was_ an idiot.

0000

Half an hour later, they sat on the opposite sides of the kitchen counter with a plate of nachos between them. They'd decided to go casual, opting to use their fingers instead of forks to eat. The silence between them had been bearable while they prepared the food, but now without the sounds of cooking and cupboard doors slamming, it was stifling.

They picked at the overflowing plate of food, both conscious of the growing tension in the room.

She toyed with the corn chips, picking one up, putting it down, then picking it up again. So _awkward._ Castle was still deathly silent, so different from how he usually held himself and Beckett knew it was her doing.

"You didn't call," said Beckett after a while. _Someone_ had to break the silence.

"I was really busy, Beckett. I told you – "

"Yeah, _one_ text message, Castle. A single message over a week. I didn't know if you were angry or upset or just avoiding me. We haven't … I was worried!"

"_You_ said you weren't ready."

The way he spat it out betrayed his true feelings about their situation. He had pulled back his hands from the middle of the table, clasping them together as if he was trying to hold himself back from hitting something.

"And _you_ said you were going to wait for me!"

"Yes, but it doesn't mean I like it! The phone works both ways, Beckett. Don't even try to push this on me when you could have easily picked up that phone and asked _me_ if I was okay."

They fell into another bout of uncomfortable silence, both glaring at each other.

"There's no one else."

Castle blinked in surprise and his steady glare faltered. "What?"

"I know. I know, okay? I'm being an idiot about this, and I _know_ that. Lanie said – actually, don't worry about what she said. I just need you to know that there's no one else for me. Not now, not in the near future."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I _know_ that it's not fair for me to make you wait. But I'm working on it. I'm working on letting myself trust _me_ to let _us_ work. It doesn't mean I don't want to see you, or solve cases with you – I just need to know that if I, no, we do this," she waggled her hands between them and continued, "I'm not going to lose you as my partner. Because losing you as a partner … that scares me more than having you as something else."

Castle rolled his shoulders and Beckett heard a crack from his bones. Obviously he hadn't been sleeping well either. Realisation dawned upon her that maybe, just maybe, the past week had been equally hard for him as it had been for her. The only difference was that while she had her work to distract her, Castle had two overbearing women and a deadline to _add_ to his stress.

"I'm not going to lie, Beckett. You're not making a whole lot of sense to me right now," Castle pushed his chair backwards and got up. He walked around the counter to stand behind her, his chest so close to touching her back. His arms came around her body, outlining her own forearms on the counter. Beckett could smell his aftershave and the scratch of his stubble as he leaned forward, leaning so that his face was hovering beside her ear, just above her shoulder.

His close proximity sent tingles spreading through her body.

And then he kissed her. His lips brushed her cheek, lingering a few seconds longer than she thought appropriate. His broad chest was pressed gently against her back, and his fingers caressed her arms as he pulled back slightly to whisper in her ear.

"_No_ sense at all, because you will never lose me. You make so crazy with your mood swings but I'm more than willing to put up with it if it means I'll find you randomly cuddling up to me in the middle of the day. I may not like it, but waiting for you – it's like anticipating this magnificent chocolate milkshake after a long night working the murder board. It's going to be extraordinary when we get there, Beckett. I promise."

Beckett suppressed a shudder that went through her body, an effect of his husky voice breathing into her ear, his fingers drawing patterns on the skin of her arms.

She needed to calm down. Her heart was racing again, threatening to break free from her ribcage and she sucked in a steady breath.

"Play a game with me," Beckett blurted out. She snapped her head back, almost colliding with Castle's head, surprising herself with her statement.

Since when did she have so little control over her own words?

Castle stepped aside to stand next to her, staring at her in confusion. "Uh, sorry?"

Beckett cleared her throat as she reorganised her thoughts.

Games.

Castle liked them to a point where one could safely say that he was obsessed. Playing his games at the precinct; whether he was throwing birds at pigs or even something as mundane as tossing paper balls into waste paper baskets across the bullpen, always brought a smile to his face. If anything could help with the uncomfortable sexual tension in the room, she was relatively sure that the idea of playing one of his games would be it.

So Beckett decided that she needed games.

"The ones you play with Ryan and Esposito every other weekend. Just … play with me," she winced as she realised how dirty that came out, and Castle smirked knowingly at her and she threw a piece of a tomato at him. It hit him squarely on the tip of his nose and he swiped it away, chuckling. Some of the tension dissipated and Beckett mentally congratulated herself.

"Okay, sure. But I'm going to say no to any first person shooters because you're only going to beat all my high scores. I say we play a nice and quiet –"

"I don't want nice or quiet, Castle."

His mouth opened to form a silent 'Oh' and then he grinned. "Portal 2?"

"What?"

"It's a new game. Not violent, but not nice or gentle either. It has guns though, and you create portals with them to finish a level. And it's cooperative, so we're not playing against each other, which means you can't beat me. We're against this horrible mean robot thing who tries to kill us if we don't escape from the test chamber. Sound good? It's a great game and I can most definitely use your brains to actually finish it."

"Uh …"

"It's okay if you don't get it now. I'll teach you!"

Castle pushed away from the counter, practically bounding towards the living room. Beckett followed closely, suddenly wondering what kind of torture she'd inflicted upon herself. She rounded the corner and found Castle bent over his console, fiddling with some buttons. He turned around and without warning tossed her a white controller.

Catching it deftly, she turned it over and studied the colourful buttons on it. She settled herself next to Castle and watched as he pressed the buttons to start the game up.

"How long are you here for today?" He asked casually, his blue eyes glinting in the daylight.

Beckett sucked in her bottom lip as she considered the question. It was a Sunday. She didn't have anything else to do. She'd finished all the books she wanted to read and Lanie had promised to leave her alone for the rest of the weekend.

"How long will it take for us to finish the game?"

Castle chuckled. "A few hours. But we have to factor in your general _noob_-ness, so it might take a while."

While Beckett wasn't well versed with gaming lingo, she knew enough from eavesdropping on the conversations at work that he had meant that as an insult. She used her controller to thwack him on his head.

"Shut up and just teach me, Castle."

"I hope you realise that I cannot possibly do both," he grinned at her.

"Damn it, Castle. Just start the game already. I'll stay till we finish the game, however long it takes."

Castle turned to face her in amazement. "Really? It might take a while"

Beckett reached out to him, placing her hand on his thigh and squeezing it as she shook her head. Beckett took note of yet another stunned expression on his face. Right. She'd managed to put that expression on his face twice in the space of less than an hour. She didn't know if she should consider that a good or a bad thing.

"It's really no big deal Beckett. I was kidding about finishing the game. I'm sure you have better things to do, places to be."

Beckett smiled again at him and decided to take another two metaphorical steps forward.

"There's actually nowhere else I'd rather be today, Rick."

00000

Happy Reading :)


	3. Electric

Posting a day early because I might be spending the rest of the weekend in a drunken stupor. All your wonderful feedback/alerts etc. are and will be loved.

**Electric**  
><em>In which things go back to normal. Sort of, but not really.<em>

00000

Her Beckett senses were tingling.

The first thing that she noticed as she exited the elevator leading to the bullpen was the sweet aroma of coffee that had been missing since the last time Castle had set foot in the precinct. Her eyes scanned the area and took note of the furtive glances she was getting from the other detectives around her and she knew that there was only one reason they'd be so jittery around her. The last time they'd sent those kinds of looks her way, it had been the morning after the fight between her and her partner. Naturally, the same cautious glances aimed at her _this_ morning could only mean one thing.

After a week and two days, Castle was back.

But who was counting anyway?

As she approached her desk she found her chair was missing and after a short perusal of her surroundings, she saw it spinning uncontrollably off towards the left, a blur of black and hair sitting in it and pushing it around with his feet.

Upon seeing her, he stumbled out of her chair wobbling and grinned.

"I got here before you," Castle said smugly. She rolled her eyes as he moved to approach her.

"I think they think I'm going to start shouting again," he fake whispered, not so subtly waving his hands around the general vicinity. The other detectives started, somewhat embarrassed at being caught eavesdropping and Castle smirked in satisfaction.

Beckett ignored his jibe and instead pointed at her chair which was now carelessly rolling towards the other end of the bullpen. "What did I say about sitting in my chair?"

He pursed his lips apologetically and scampered away to retrieve the runaway chair, dragging it to her as she waited.

"Not to do it?"

"And what were you doing?"

"I was _spinning_ in your chair!"

She narrowed her eyes at him, leaned closer and shoved an elbow into his gut, causing him to double over and scoot out of her way. She chuckled and sat down, watching him as he massaged his abdomen and sat gingerly back in his own seat. There was a collective snigger from the bullpen.

"Yes, I'm back, thank you for your warm welcome. Go back to doing some detecting, please," he called out grumpily. Beckett heard more tinkles of laughter before the bullpen returned to its usual flurry of Monday morning activity.

Beckett shook her head in amusement. Castle grinned and pulled his chair closer to the edge of the table, leaving little space between them.

"I guess I should apologise for causing all this, they haven't been too hard on you, I hope?" he asked as he silently berated himself for losing his temper and causing such a scene at her place of work.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Castle," she answered him. She reached out to place her hand on his knee and applied a small amount of pressure in a reassuring squeeze. "It hasn't been too bad."

He lowered his hand to place it over hers, but she pulled back before he had the chance. "And I'm really glad you're back."

She smiled at him and Castle felt as though it could light up the darkest parts of the universe.

"I got you your coffee, by the way. It's supposed to be a thank you for helping me finish the game last night, but it looks like you don't really need it. It's ten in the morning and you still haven't gotten a call," he said as he pushed the large Styrofoam cup towards her.

"I know you get a kick out of it, but please don't sound so upset over the fact that criminals are behaving themselves for once. And what are you talking about? Regardless of whether we have a body or not, I always need coffee. This is really good," she savoured the rich flavour coursing through her system and hummed appreciatively. The fancy coffees that he brought for her always tasted so much better than anything she rustled up on her own with the precinct's espresso machine.

Beckett was about to call him out on staring at her again when he averted his eyes and pulled out his phone.

"Alex Conrad is back in town, by the way," he said. "He wanted me to go over his final draft for the book."

"I hope you're not giving him bad advice just because you think he's going to steal your spot as New York's finest crime novelist."

Castle narrowed his eyes at her and in a bold move, he flicked the edges of her hair. "I would never do such a thing, Detective. You wound me."

He let out a whimper as Beckett caught his fingers in a tight grip and twisted them, shoving them back at him.

"_Don't_ touch my hair again. And suck it up. You invited him into a den of wolves just because you thought he was spending too much time with me. I can make whatever assumptions I want when it comes to your intentions."

"… I will concede that point to you, Beckett. But only because I want you to come with me to the Old Haunt tonight so that you can make sure I behave. Conrad wants to have drinks with us – and I mean _us_, because he mentioned you and the boys too – and who better to keep New York's finest crime novelist in line than one of New York's finest?"

Beckett pursed her lips contemplating the invitation. The appeal of alcohol and a potentially good time being out with her detectives was tempting. She took stock of the paperwork she still had to complete and realised that for once, it didn't look too bad. She might even have the time to go back home to change and come back out to hang out with them if the sudden lull in murder-land persisted.

"If no one gets killed by five, and if you let me finish my paperwork in peace today, you can tell Conrad that I'll be there."

Castle pumped his fists in victory and pulled an imaginary zipper over his lips, indicating his willingness to stay silent for her. Beckett rolled her eyes sceptically at him and opened up her first file of the day.

00000

As it turned out, the first half of the day proved to be relatively quiet and Beckett managed to get much more done than she expected even with Castle's presence. By midday, she was so _over_ the typing and flipping and double checking that she groaned in frustration, catching Castle's attention. He had been engrossed in his phone all morning, and as he looked up at her and noticed her expression, he grinned.

"Lunch time?" he asked.

"Yeah," she answered without hesitation, grabbing her jacket and pulling her hands through the sleeves. "Hot dogs and a milkshake?"

"That sounds absolutely perfect."

They were already halfway to the elevator before Beckett paused and turned around.

"You boys want anything? Or are you good just staring at us for the rest of the day?"

Esposito and Ryan were seated at their desks; their eyes fixed on the two of them and Beckett suspected they'd actually been staring at her all day. They shared a guilty look and mumbled that they were fine, ducking their heads in pretence of getting back to their paperwork.

Beckett and Castle's quick stroll out in the city to grab their lunch turned out to be an interesting experience. The sidewalk had been busy with people, forcing the partners to walk wedged up next to each other, bumping and nudging as they made their way to the hot dog stand.

"If you get me my hot dog, I'll run to Remy's and get us our milkshakes. Saves us the time," Castle offered. Beckett nodded as she got in line and watched Castle make his way through the throng of people milling about on the sidewalk.

Twenty minutes later, they found themselves leaning against the outer walls of the precinct, the very site where Beckett had broken down in front of Castle not a month before. The memory of that night sent shivers down her spine – it had definitely _not_ been one of her finer moments in life. She shook her head to relive herself of the memory and finished the last of her hot dog just as Castle shoved the last bits of his between his lips.

"S' ver- good," Castle said through a mouthful of food.

"Chew, swallow, then talk, Castle," she patted the side of his face in an attempt to admonish him. He grinned cheekily at her and Beckett pulled her hand away and as she did so, her fingers dragged along his jaw, caressing the slight stubble and an electricity-like jolt shot through her causing her to step back in surprise. Her hand was still suspended mid-air, and his blue eyes were twinkling mischievously at her, as if he was fully aware of the reaction he'd caused within her.

They weren't touchy people by nature, or at least _she_ wasn't. She'd touched his hand at the precinct before, and sure, they'd had their fair share of hugs in all their years working together, but they hadn't had the same electrifying effect. She pulled her hand back down and shoved it into her pocket, turning her face so that she was no longer subject to his intense stare.

The air between them was positively _crackling_.

"You wanna hang out here until you have to go back in?" He asked softly, slowly closing the distance between them.

"Yeah, it's a nice day. We'll finish these and then head back inside," she lifted her milkshake and took a long sip of the sickeningly sweet liquid and let it flow through her throat and into her system. She was careful to keep her voice even, playing off the effect he had on her.

She'd settled back next to him, barely an inch separating their shoulders and she realised that the heat emanating from him was so _very_ enticing. He was no longer looking at her, but gazing further out onto the street and when she was sure he wasn't paying her any attention, she moved her feet so that that inch that separated them no longer existed and the side of her body was lined up perfectly against his side.

If she thought he wouldn't notice, she was wrong.

It was as if her move had given Castle the permission to obliterate the idea of respecting her personal space. They were still leaning casually against the wall, watching the cops enter and exit the precinct on their own lunch breaks. The untrained eye would have never detected it, but the moment he felt her sidling up next to him, Castle tried to sneak his hand up her back, creeping in the space between the wall and her shirt and ever so often he'd place a soft touch against her warm body. Every time he did so, she shifted away in mock annoyance only to end up right back next to him in the next few seconds, craving for his warmth.

The exchange took place in complete silence. Their milkshakes lay forgotten on the ground and if Beckett was concerned that the other cops would notice them being overly 'friendly' with one another, she didn't show it. Truth be told, she wanted to see how far he was willing to go, how far she was willing to _let_ him go. And Richard Castle was nothing if not persistent.

She finally relented after his sixth not-so-subtle attempt at touching her and just as his hand hovered once more over her back, she crashed against his side, reached around and pulled his hand so that it stretched over the length of her shoulders.

She turned to him then, her eyes warning him to shut the hell up and hold whatever comment he was about to shoot at her and he shrugged. Nodding in satisfaction, she relaxed against him and steered them back towards the precinct.

It wasn't until they entered the elevator to head back up to the bullpen that they separated and acting on pure impulse, Beckett tilted on her toes to kiss him on his cheek.

He gasped in surprise at the sudden contact and she smirked, stepping away from him.

"What was that for?" he managed to say after calming himself down.

"For being sweet."

00000

The moment the clock struck five, Beckett found herself being ushered out of the precinct by an overly enthusiastic Castle. She barely had time to grab her things before he was crowding her into the elevator and jabbing at the buttons excitedly.

"Castle, calm down please. You're giving me a headache."

"I've been quiet all day. I've been really good, and now all this energy is just …" He made a sphere with hands and pulled them apart like an explosion had occurred and he made the sound effects to go with it. "And watching you finishing paperwork all day is _bo_-_ring_."

"I didn't ask you to stay, you man-child. You could have gone home after lunch, finished your book or whatever."

"But I _wanted_ to stay with you."

Rolling her eyes and leaning back against the back of the elevator, she sighed. "Then don't complain that creepily staring at me all day is boring. You volunteered."

Castle grinned, shifting so that their shoulders were touching. Castle's fingers knocked against hers and Beckett was tempted to just reach out to curl her fingers around his. Her fingers twitched, but the doors slid open then, ruining the moment. They both straightened and exited.

"I have to go back, get dinner prepared for Alexis and then I'll meet you guys at the Old Haunt. Is that okay?"

"Why wouldn't it be?"

"I don't know. What if when you get home you decide you want a night in and ditch us for a bath and a book?"

"I still don't see how that has anything to do with you making dinner for Alexis."

"I'm just making sure that you don't take this as an incentive for you to back out, that's all. I need you to be there to keep me in line, remember?"

"I _said_ I'll be there, Castle."

"I'll see you there at seven then? I'll buy you some fries ... yeah, fries and your first two rounds, if you want."

She frowned. Why the hell was he being so weird about this? Beckett stepped towards him, reaching out to smoothen non-existent creases on his suit. Her fingers slid under the lapels and pulled at them running her hands down his chest. The action seemed almost familiar to them now and she ignored the way her heart was beating erratically and the way his breath hitched when she let go of his suit.

"You don't have to bribe me with food, okay? I actually want to come out tonight. Now go home and make sure your daughter gets fed."

"Right."

Beckett watched as he retreated into a cab and lingered by the sidewalk until the yellow car disappeared from her sight.

00000

The atmosphere at the Old Haunt had been very pleasant. Alex Conrad arrived at a little past seven and after the customary greetings proceeded to buy them all a round of drinks before settling down to catch up with the group.

He'd flirted mercilessly with her, commenting on the way her hair looked amazing in the low light of the pub and she could see Castle subtly move his fist under the table and out of her sight, undoubtedly clenching it in frustration. Beckett took pity on him and suggested that Ryan and Esposito show Conrad their excellent skills playing darts, and she saw Castle visibly relax.

As the two detectives and the young writer left the table, betting on who would be the best player, Beckett pulled herself along the booth to sit directly across from Castle.

"It doesn't make you petty, you know."

She watched Alex Conrad and the boys start to fling darts at a corner at the pub, and Castle looked up at his partner, slightly confused. It took him a few seconds to recall the words he'd said to her the last time Alex Conrad had been in town and a smug look crossed his features.

"I know, Beckett. You said it was sweet."

Beckett smiled into her beer as she drank another mouthful and shook her head. "Yes, but I also … I understand what you meant when you said it. What you felt at the time."

"Oh, really?"

He took a more playful tone, dragging out the 'really' and making him sound like a little kid. Beckett chuckled at his boyish delight at her confession. She put her glass down on the table and made a show of rubbing her hands together and lacing her fingers so that her chin rested on them atop the table.

Castle had never seen anything more beautiful. Her hair fell in waves around her shoulders, and in that moment, with her staring so intently at him, he felt like the luckiest man on Earth.

"Remember when Natalie Rhodes was at the precinct a few months back?"

"She stole your coffee," Castle offered, recalling his partner's uncharacteristic outburst in the break room. "And had your hair and your clothes and … oh."

It hit him then, the similarities of both their situations. Alex Conrad had been Beckett's 'other writer' and Natalie Rhodes had been the 'other Beckett', albeit a slightly creepier one.

"Yeah. You were so … _in awe_ of her, Castle," she bit her lip and glanced down at the table, studying the ring marks made by their beer glasses. "It felt like she was a shinier model of Kate Beckett, you know? Version two point oh. Cooler, classier, more popular, brand spankin' new – you have no idea how relieved I was when she got into those elevators at the end."

She let her eyes drift shut for a second as she relived that moment, Natalie's not so subtle invitation directed at Castle ringing in her ears. She opened them again, and found Castle's face mere inches from hers – he'd apparently moved closer towards her in that second – and his blue eyes sparkled in the low light of the pub.

"Hey, you know there's only one Kate Beckett for me, right? There's only one person who inspires me the way you do and makes Nikki Heat who she is, and that's you, Detective."

Beckett's insides warmed at his honesty and she could feel her cheeks flushing at the adoration she saw in his eyes. She brushed away imaginary tendrils of hair from her face in an attempt to hide her blush, but by the way Castle's eyes twinkled at her, she knew there was no hiding her reaction from him.

"It's good to know." She said finally as she gazed past him and at the boys behind them. It seemed like the detectives were having a riot with the young author and she smiled at the sight. It wasn't often they all got to relax like that. She downed the last of her beer and studied her partner instead.

Partner. Friend. Best friend. _Something more. _

It had taken them a good while to get to this point in their relationship. She could still feel the remnants of the figurative punch to her emotions he'd dealt her, but as long as they were in agreement of where they stood with one another, it felt as if their time to be together was soon approaching.

Castle seemed preoccupied with something on his phone, squinting at whatever it was displayed on his screen, and Beckett was content to just sit there and watch him. After a few more minutes of pursed lips and angry tapping on the on-screen keyboard, he slid his phone into his pocket and sighed.

"Trouble with Alexis?" She ventured, trying to pinpoint the cause of his frustration.

"Oh, no. Paula, actually. She thinks I should increase the number of readings and signings this time round, as if I'm not already swamped with all the PR work I have to do," he said, eliciting a chuckle from her.

"Right, so she's telling you to do your job properly, is she?"

"Hey, hey, you don't get to needle me about this when I'm helping _you_ do yours, Beckett," his grin took the bite out of his words, and in a moment of true whimsy, she stuck out her tongue at him.

"If I didn't need you here to keep Esposito and Ryan in check, you'd have been kicked to the curb way back when you decided you wanted to debrief me," she teased.

He pouted at her, crossing his arms. "For someone so hell bent on searching for truth and justice, it wounds me that you can lie so easily to my face."

She grinned at his mocking tone and reached out to grasp one of his palms, pulling them from their crossed position against his chest. They'd been doing that a lot that day, touching, nudging and even openly flirting with each other over their third round of coffee during one of her mini-breaks. While she felt slightly off kilter about the openness of the way they were reacting around each other, Beckett decided she actually liked this new development in their partnership and from what she could tell Castle was enjoying it too.

"You know I'm kidding, Castle."

"I do."

They fell into a comfortable silence then, her fingers moving from their position over his to tracing nonsensical patterns on the wooden surface of their table.

As she finished the last of her drink, she noticed Conrad walking back towards them, followed closely by the detectives and she scooted over across the long seat as Castle did the same opposite her. Their knees knocked against each other under the table and she felt his foot brush against her calf. Whether it had been an accident or not, the contact felt strangely intimate. Her eyes met his across the table and she could see the teasing glint in his eyes. Oh, it hadn't been an accident at all. He _knew_ what he'd just done.

"Nah, don't move. We're about to head off – Conrad here needs to get schooled at some Left for Dead 2," Esposito said, breaking their staring match. The Detective grabbed his coat from the back of their seat and slung it over his shoulder.

Beckett shot Castle a look, and he mouthed 'game' to her before she nodded in understanding.

"Have fun then," she said as they trooped off with nothing more than a nonchalant wave back at Castle.

"Yeah, fine, it's not like I want to shoot zombies anyway," he muttered and Beckett tried to hold in a laugh.

He must have noticed her failing attempt though, because he looked at her and shrugged sheepishly.

"What? I really don't want to. I don't need to watch people kill other people in a game when I'm fully capable of participating in that sort of action in real life," he said smugly, with just a touch of disdain in his voice.

Beckett grinned. "For someone so hell bent on searching for truth and justice, it wounds me that you can lie so easily to my face."

There was a beat of silence between them before they both they shared a grin and simultaneously, the two partners burst out in a raucous laughter.

00000


	4. Pop Goes the Bubble

Previously: _Castle and Beckett get closer as they take a stroll through the city to grab hot dogs and flirt outrageously with each other as they hang out at the Old Haunt, pretending that they were there to catch up with Alex Conrad ;) _

**Pop Goes the Bubble**  
><em>In which Beckett and Castle go on a half-date and end up missing lunch.<em>

00000

It was completely accidental (Castle would argue that it was fate) that they ended up spending the morning of Beckett's day off together.

She was a creature of habit and despite being her day off, she had gotten up early that morning. It took her a good 30 seconds lolling around in bed before she remembered that she wasn't needed at the precinct. The early morning sun flickered in through her blinds and she decided to curl back into bed with a book, spending her time reliving the epic demise of Derrick Storm.

Hours later, she was yanked out from the world of mystery and intrigue when her phone chimed by her bedside. Reaching out grab it, she found that someone had sent her a picture message.

Castle. He'd taken a picture of himself in front of his computer, making an exaggerated sad face with the words 'I'M SO BORED' typed onto an otherwise blank document.

Beckett smiled at the image, guessing that Alexis must have taken the picture for him. She had made him promise when she found out that she had the day off that he was to spend it finishing whatever it was that needed finishing for his novel. The picture message told her he wasn't having much success with it and she decided on a whim to send him one of her own in return.

She extended her arm and flipped her phone over, snapping a quick picture of herself half buried under her covers, the Derrick Storm novel strategically placed over her chest.

_*I'm* not bored. I'm in bed with you. _

She sent the image before she had time to change her mind and reluctantly got out of bed. She pulled on her robe, a luxury she never got to enjoy on the days she had to rush out of her apartment to get to a crime scene and padded to her kitchen.

Her cell phone chimed again as she started brewing her coffee and she grinned while waiting for the message to open.

_Evil woman. _

Beckett wasn't sure what exactly she'd expected, it lacked any form of innuendo which was very unlike Castle especially since she'd left it wide open with her own message. She stared at the short message for a while before shrugging. It wasn't a big deal; she he was probably still recovering from the picture. She sipped her coffee, appreciating the warm liquid that coursed through her throat but found herself simultaneously missing the rich thickness of the gourmet coffee that she'd gotten far too used to.

For the second time that morning, she made a split decision and twenty minutes later, she was striding out her door, making her way to the café that Castle usually got her coffee from. It was a pleasant day outside and she didn't mind walking. The streets were unusually quiet, and Beckett chalked it up to the fact that for once, everyone _else_ in the city was actually at work instead of wandering around looking for coffee.

It was a _great_ feeling.

00000

She knew it was him even before she walked into the café. Castle had a very distinct posture; tall and straight and his hair was always so immaculately presentable. Granted, she could only see his back from her position outside the cafe, but she knew instinctively that the man standing in line was definitely her partner. Someone brushed past her, rudely pushing through the entrance of the café and she realised that she'd been looking through the clear glass window just staring at his back for far too long.

He didn't turn around when the bell dinged signalling her entry. She casually made her way to him at the front of the line and nudged his side.

"Fancy seeing you here, Mr. Castle," she teased, enjoying the look of surprise that crossed his features as he realised who it was that had bumped into him.

"Beckett, hi!"

The barista at the counter called him over to order before he could say anything else and they both moved forward. Moments later, Beckett realised that she'd effectively cut in front of the other people in line and regretfully, she turned around to go to the back of the line. Before she got too far though, Castle snagged her elbow and stopped her.

"I got you one too, don't worry about it," he said as he pulled out his wallet.

Beckett blinked in confusion. She hadn't even heard him place an order yet, but the barista had moved on to the next person in line and he'd stepped to the side.

"I'm a regular here, Beckett. They already know what I want," he offered simply as an explanation.

Right.

Of course.

They spent the next few minutes in silence and when their coffees were ready, she retrieved them from the counter and arched an inquiring eyebrow at him. "Are we having these here?" she asked.

"Sure, there's a booth over there," Castle answered and made his way across the small space, pointing to a booth next to the wide window that overlooked the streets of New York. Beckett placed the drinks on the table and was mildly surprised as Castle moved behind her to pull out her chair for her. She forced away the blush that had started to rise in her cheeks and muttered a soft thanks as he settled into his own seat opposite her.

It felt suspiciously like a date.

"So, Beckett, did I provide you with enough pleasure between the sheets this morning?" He leered at her and she grimaced. _That_ was exactly what she had expected before.

"Oh, you always do, Castle. The experience was very … satisfying," she tossed back and she grinned as Castle choked on his coffee, making a spectacle of himself as he grabbed the napkins on the table to try to hide his coughing fit.

Beckett risked a quick look around the café and was content that that it looked like no one had taken notice of them. However, as she turned back to Castle, a movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention and she noticed a young girl sitting diagonally behind them had suddenly averted her gaze from their table.

The girl looked like she was no older than Alexis and Beckett realised with a start that the girl had Heat Wave open on the table next to her drink. She must have had recognised Castle from the author picture on the back of the book and was pointedly avoiding her gaze, pretending not to sneak glances at their table. It was then that it hit her.

Richard _freakin'_ Castle.

And she was out in public, having coffee with him. They weren't catching a quick lunch during a break in a case, or getting a quick pick-me-up to maintain their energy levels, or having a post-case celebratory dinner – they were having _coffee_. Together, with no obvious reason other than the fact that they _wanted_ to. They were in a semi-intimate setting, the two of them in a secluded corner, their knees occasionally brushing against each other when they shifted in their seats.

Beckett glanced out the window, trying to give herself some room to recover from the sudden revelation and it dawned upon her usual trepidation when it came to these kinds of situations was missing. In fact, she found that she was totally okay with the idea that to the casual observer, their morning coffee could have been construed as them being out on a date. She turned back to him and smiled.

Two steps forward.

"It's actually a nice day to spend not working," she said after a while, nodding towards the sun shining brightly outside and the gentle breeze that seemed to be blowing through the streets outside.

Castle nodded. "I was thinking the exact same thing. Unfortunately_, I_ have to work today."

"Really?" Beckett couldn't help the hint of disappointment that managed to seep into her voice, but Castle didn't seem to have noticed it.

"Yes, but not till one in the afternoon. I have a meeting with the PR guys about the additional events I have to do for Heat Rises. Is it me, or does this coffee taste better when it's not being downed in haste in order to solve a murder?"

Beckett laughed and took a swig of her own coffee to humour him. "Nah, it's just you and your overactive imagination, Castle."

"I'm going to remind you that it was my overactive imagination that accompanied you this morning in bed, Beckett," he smirked at her as she reached over to smack him lightly on his arm.

Her hand remained on the table after that, playing with the edges of her half empty coffee cup. Castle put his own cup down and mimicked her actions while his eyes met hers across the table. Piercing blue met sea green and almost instantly, it seemed like the temperature in the café had increased but Beckett wouldn't have been able to look away even if she tried to. The entire morning had an almost peaceful, tranquil feel to it and in that moment, with him looking at her in that familiar adoring gaze, she couldn't think of anyone else she'd rather have spent it with.

She let out a long breath and her fingers caught his, bringing them from the rim of his cup to rest on the table, tangled inexplicably with hers.

Her heart was racing, and if the pulsing vein in his neck was anything to go by, so was his.

This was _so_ a date.

"What … what were you planning to do today?" Castle asked and she could tell that he was trying the best he could to pretend that their joined hands were nothing out of the ordinary. He was failing though, because he'd finally managed to tear his eyes away from hers and instead had fixed them on their clasped hands on the table.

"Go to a bookstore, get lunch, maybe call my dad. Normal things," she answered. Her thumb stroked the back of his hand and she revelled in the small smile that he gave her as he stared at their hands.

"Uh … what do you think of me joining you for the first two? And then I'll probably have to go, but I can assure you that if you do want to shop for books, you will most definitely benefit from my expertise," his eyes were bright and eager, betraying the excitement that he was trying to hide beneath the cool, even tone he'd spoken with.

She couldn't bring herself to deny him he pleasure.

"Yeah, that would be nice, Castle. Also, I think that girl behind us has been dying to get your autograph for the last half an hour or so."

0000

They wandered down the aisles together. The store was a big one and Castle had been very excited to peruse their selection of books with her. He'd managed to convince her to pick up a few graphic novels as they passed the section, but they found themselves inevitably spending the most time in the Crime and Mystery section.

"_There_ I am!"

Beckett rolled her eyes at his childish enthusiasm but looked at where he was pointing to anyway. Yup, naked and lying on a fence – Nikki Heat in all her glory.

"Not looking for one of yours, Castle. Focus."

"But there are so many! Surely you haven't read them all," said Castle, randomly picking out one of his older novels. "But this wasn't a good one. I hope you haven't read this one."

"I have, actually," Beckett ran her fingers along the spines of the brightly coloured books arranged on the shelves and she sighed wistfully. "I used to have them all, until the apartment got blown up. I've been meaning to replace them, but I don't get a chance to come out to stores that often, and your older stuff is hard to – what?"

"You … you've been _re-buying_ them?"

"I lost them in the explosion, Castle. Sometimes I just want to – "

"Don't spend any more money on them, Beckett. I'll call Paula. Gina. Whoever. You'll get them all, okay, even if they have to come out of my own library. Okay? Just let me know which ones you're missing."

"Castle…" she knew she should probably try a little harder to dissuade him, but the idea of having the complete Castle collection back on her shelves was too tempting. And it _was_ hard to get his older books, not to mention the exorbitant prices that she would undoubtedly have had to pay for them.

"I'm serious. It's the least I can do for you. So just … let me, Beckett. Please," he was pleading with her, not only vocally but his hand had reached out to grasp hers as if the physical contact would help him persuade her into giving in.

"Fine, okay. Thank you, Castle," Beckett squeezed his hand and held on as he tried to slip it out of her grasp. "That's very sweet, and I … thank you."

Castle shrugged happily and replaced the novel he'd pulled off the shelves. Beckett noticed that he had stopped trying to ease his hand out of hers, relaxing instead into the casual warmth of their entwined digits. The collar of her jacket seemed too tight all of a sudden, and she realised that once again, she was blushing.

"Not a problem," Castle said casting a quick look around them. Obviously, he was already tired of being around his own work. "Let's go look at the new arrivals."

He turned them around and dragged her to the section to where the new releases were being displayed. He led her down to the section, gently tugging her along and Beckett was only too happy to follow him.

"Lehane has a new one. Reichs too, but I don't know if you read her books," he suggested as he pointed to the respective books. A bright poster caught his eye and he pointed at it.

"Oh, look! Coming soon," he read. "The thrilling sequel to 'Seriously Dead' by Alex Conrad, New York's latest …oh. Hey, how come 'Heat Rises' doesn't have a coming soon poster yet?"

Beckett turned to read the poster for herself and she snorted.

"Maybe because you've been busy following me around instead of actually sorting these things out?" She said. A flicker of regret and disappointment crossed his features and he let go of her hand. He wouldn't look at her but she could tell that he was slightly unnerved by the display in front of him. His hands were buried in his pockets so reclaiming a hold on him was out of the question. Instead, she slipped her entire arm through his and hooked it so that they were linked together. Pulling slightly, she managed to steer him away from the display.

"You know, it only says he's the _latest_ best-selling novelist. I bet when you release 'Heat Rises', the title will go back to you," she reassured him. "And besides, you're still the master of the macabre, Castle."

"Yeah, yeah you're right," he gave her another dazzling smile and pulled her closer to his body. "It's nothing to worry about. You should get Lehane's. It's really good. Here. "

She took the book begrudgingly, but added it to the basket of books that was hanging off the other arm that wasn't currently being tightly pressed against Castle's side. They approached the check-out counter and she gave her basket a quick glance.

"I think I'm good to go. I'm just going to pay for these and we can go grab lunch, I'm starving. No, Castle, I'm paying for them myself – Castle, let. Go."

He pouted good naturedly at her as she glared at him, but let go of her basket all the same. He smirked. "I guess I can settle with just gifting you my entire catalogue."

She rolled her eyes and was about to thank him again but eventually chose to remain silent instead. As grateful as she was, she had already thanked him and there was absolutely no need for her to further fuel his bloated ego.

00000

It was close to twelve when the exited the store onto the streets of New York City. They were both starving, and Castle had an hour before he had to make his meeting, so they decided that a quick lunch at Remy's would be enough to tide them over.

They walked the distance, both thoroughly enjoying the enjoyable weather and little was said between them on their journey. The world seemed to be working in her favour as of late, and she wasn't going to complain. There hadn't been any overly tough cases for her team to solve, allowing Castle the time to deal with his real job – and this new aspect of their _relationship_, for lack of a better word, wasn't nearly as scary as she thought it would be.

The constant touching was almost natural to them now – comfortable, even. His hand on her back as he guided her past potholes, the touch of her fingers on his shoulder as his big figure unintentionally blocked the path of others on the street, the hand holding.

But everything was still new and shiny and a part of her was afraid that the nice little bubble they were currently in would pop and send them back to the normal they had before. Before … everything. Granted, they hadn't really spent that much time together at the precinct, so she was unsure of how their dynamic would be when they were back to building theory and catching bad guys, but still, Beckett was starting to realise that maybe, just _maybe_ she was ready.

She snuck a quick glance Castle's profile as they made their way across the street and he had a ghost of a smile on his face. The sun was shining brightly overhead, catching the angles of his face perfectly and she couldn't help but silently agree that he was truly 'ruggedly handsome'. He sensed her looking at him and the smile on his face grew wider when he turned, catching her red-handed.

"Hey, hey, no need to be embarrassed, I know I'm good looking," he teased, nudging her.

"You're so full of it Castle," she muttered.

He chortled beside her. "If it makes you feel any better, I think you're good looking too."

Once again, he received an eye roll from her, but she didn't say anything else, concentrating instead on the traffic on the road they were about to cross. The little green man flashed invitingly and they stepped off the sidewalk towards Remy's.

And then she saw it.

It was Josh's bike, or at least a bike that looked a lot like the one he owned. There were two people on it as it slowly rolled to a stop on the side of the road and the riders got off. Her suspicions were confirmed when the man killed the engine and got off, pulling off his helmet. It was Josh. He turned to help the other passenger, and it turned out to be a young woman, brunette and beautiful.

Her breath hitched.

She stopped walking abruptly when she saw them and Castle had to hustle her onto the other side of the road away from the oncoming traffic, slightly confused at her sudden stillness.

"Beckett?"

Beckett wasn't moving, still staring at the bike parked innocently on the side of the road, the two people having already disappeared into one of the restaurants. Castle followed her line of vision and realised what she was looking at. He wasn't entirely sure it belonged to the surgeon, he'd only seen it once after all, but the way Beckett was staring unflinchingly at it made him positive it was his.

"Um … Beckett?" he tried again. "Kate?"

The usage of her first name seemed to jar her from her reverie and she turned to look at him apologetically.

"Sorry," her voice was huskier than usual and it set off a million alarm bells in Castle's head. "Just … ah, just got caught up in the moment."

Beckett wasn't even sure why she was reacting the way she was. She'd moved on from Josh, of that she was sure of. They had agreed to remain friends, but since he had left for Haiti she hadn't heard from him. She knew she no longer harboured any romantic feelings for the man and lately the only man who she even gave the time of day to think about was Castle, who was now staring curiously at her. So really, the reaction she was experiencing was completely illogical.

But she had underestimated the power of the memories that were associated with that bike.

Flashes of her time with Josh flitted past her mind's eye; racing through the streets of New York, discussing the mechanics of their bikes, and just being plain wild. She remembered the feel of the wind rushing past her, the power of the engine revving between her thighs, the exhilaration of commandeering the streets in a way she could never do when she was in her car – the burst of adrenaline the two of them raced around as though they owned the night.

She bit her lip at the memories and let out a sigh.

She could feel Castle tensing up beside her and almost immediately she felt a deep ache spreading through her heart. No. No. She hadn't noticed, being so lost in her thoughts, but it seemed like Castle had moved slightly away from her, staring at a spot past her shoulders. Avoiding her.

It was apparent that his masks were up; his eyes were no longer twinkling in the mirthful cheer they'd been in for the entire morning. Beckett had forgotten how well he could read her, and it was clear that he had seen the wistful look that she'd given the bike moments before. She wanted to reassure him that she wasn't thinking about Josh – not at all, but he was pointedly avoiding her gaze and she couldn't find the right words to say to him.

He wasn't displaying any overt signs of emotion, but his fists were clenched and his shoulders were squared, the tell-tale signs of Castle trying to control himself. Crap.

"Castle," she began, trying to form the words in her head carefully. "It's not what … not what you think."

Spit it out Beckett. Tell him it's the crazy bike rides that you miss, not Josh. Tell him. Tell him. Tell him.

He still refused to look at her, but he found himself nodding anyway. "I know. You were with him for a long time. I … uh. I understand."

He tried for a smile, but it was so filled with sorrow that it quickly turned into a painful grimace and it sent another jolt of throbbing pain through Beckett's chest.

"Actually, Beckett, I should get going. I'll just –"

"No, Castle, c'mon. Let's eat. You said you were hungry."

"I can get something from the office. I'm sure they have sandwiches or something. You know how it goes."

"Castle, don't do this. Let me explain. Please. I don't – it's not Josh. It's _not_."

Maybe it was the desperation in her voice, maybe it was the pleading in her eyes, and maybe it was just Castle's inability to see Beckett so upset, but he caved. He took two long strides towards her and enveloped her in his arms, crushing her to his chest.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Beckett. I shouldn't have come with you today. I'm so sorry. You said you needed time, and I'm … I'm pushing and I'm so sorry," he muttered into her hair, apologising over and over again.

Beckett was reeling. Castle was _sorry_? What the –

His hands grasped at the back of her jacket, pulling them slightly apart and his eyes bore into hers. "I'm really sorry for pushing. And for all the hand holding and … if I overwhelmed you. I didn't mean to, okay? I – I was having fun and sometimes I forget that you're not me and you might see things differently. You said you needed to trust me – us, Beckett, I'm so sorry."

He released her then, leaving her to stand speechless and slightly out of breath in front of Remy's. He picked up her bag of books for her and handed it over, ensuring she had a tight grip on it before he let go. He shot her a regretful smile and pulled her in for a brief hug once more.

"I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" he whispered into her hair and before she knew it, Richard Castle was getting into a cab and disappearing from her view.

Only one thing seemed to cross her mind then, repeating itself over and over again.

What the _hell_ just happened?

00000

So, two things.

Firstly, I NOW HAVE A TUMBLR ACCOUNT – come visit at **griever11(dot)tumblr(dot)com** and yes I've only been on it for maybe a week, so I'm still learning. I've got behind the scenes posts (rants etc) about the writing process that goes into the chapters of this fic and a few other random odd bits about my life and my various fandoms :) So pop on over if you're into that kind of thing.

Secondly, this chapter didn't end up where I wanted it to end up, which sort of screws up with my short term plan for this fic (nothing changes long term). But it means that a) we might see our two lovable idiots coming to their senses sooner than you think or b) dragging this pseudo fight further, and then allowing them to work it out in a few chapters.

I will leave it up to you to decide, either way I have both chapters already half written (it's just a matter of which one gets improved on now).

Leave a review, tell me what you liked, didn't like etc. Always good to hear from readers :)


	5. Spontaneous Combustion

All mistakes are mine.

Previously: _Castle and Beckett go on a semi-date, and a bookstore and then they spot Josh. Castle gets uncomfortable and leaves before they get to have lunch. _

**Spontaneous Combustion  
><strong>_In which Martha finally makes an appearance, lots of talking about serious things takes place and two people make out. _

00000

The smells that were wafting around Beckett were pleasantly mouth-watering. If she had been worried about doing this before, she definitely wasn't anymore. She stopped stirring the pot, removing the wooden spoon and turned down the heat to allow the sauce to simmer.

Contrary to popular belief, she was actually a decent cook. It was merely the fact that she barely had the time to do it that she resorted to surviving off take out and leftovers. On the rare days that she found herself free from work, cooking had been one of her favourite things to do besides curling up with a good book. It reminded her of her mother and of a time when everything hadn't yet been tinged with the darkness of life she would later come to be so familiar with.

It was with this in mind the fond memory of her time with her mother that she decided to cook for him as a way to figure out the source of their earlier misunderstanding. Beckett had surprised Martha and Alexis when she arrived, arms laden with groceries and had insisted that she cook them dinner. The two redheads invited her in with open arms, fussing over the groceries and dinner ideas, the wine that would go with the meal and Beckett never felt more welcome in the loft.

It remained unspoken but the two of them knew that Beckett's sudden appearance at the loft could only be attributed to something that had happened with Castle. The younger Castle had the sense to stay out of Beckett's business, opting to move upstairs to her room after Beckett resolutely refused to let her help with anything. Martha however, possessed no such decorum. She poked and prodded, both subtly and not-so-subtly until finally, after an hour of trying to distract the older woman by making her taste-test every single thing, Beckett relented.

"I need to explain something to him, and it's not something that I want to wait around to do," she sighed. She proceeded to briefly outline their semi-date that morning, concluding with her mistake of staring at Josh's bike and Castle's weird if not somewhat rude apology.

"I think it's a very nice thing to do, dear. He doesn't deserve someone like you," she said. "He will be home soon; he mentioned that his meetings will only run till just before dinner, so if you really want to surprise him, I hope you're almost finished."

A quick glance at the clock later, she nodded and smiled at Martha. "I just wanted to talk, that's all. And this … it's just pasta."

"Oh, honey, haven't you learned? With my son, it's never _just_ anything. _You_, making dinner for him and his family? He's going to talk about this one for a very long time. You better be prepared," she smirked at Beckett and slinked away, leaving Beckett to her own devices.

00000

To say that Castle was surprised would have been a huge understatement. Beckett didn't answer the door when he rang the buzzer to his own apartment – his hands were too full of paperwork for him to open the door himself – but the sly glint in Alexis' eyes as she greeted her father had alerted him to the fact that something was definitely amiss.

It was obvious though, that whatever it was that he had imagined in his head, it definitely hadn't involved the image of Beckett, standing over his stove, stirring slowly and humming to herself. He let his bundle of papers flutter to the ground, his laptop bag sliding off his shoulder as he stood agape at the scene before him.

"Beckett?"

She turned around and flashed him a brief smile. "Hey, Castle. Dinner is almost ready."

He strode briskly to her, simultaneously motioning to Alexis to take over the stirring and he grasped Beckett's free hand. She let out a startled gasp, but he was already dragging her away from the kitchen and into his study. He slid the door shut and turned back to her, confused and looking slightly frazzled.

"I don't understand," he said. "What are you doing here?"

Beckett bit her lip, chewing on it thoughtfully before she moved to one of his armchairs to lean against it.

"I really thought we'd have dinner, _then_ do this, Castle."

"I've just spent the longest five hours of my life discussing the most menial aspects of business and promotional details. Please excuse me if I'm not quite thrilled to be entertaining right now," he snapped bitterly.

Beckett realised then that he was more than slightly annoyed at her – something she hadn't counted on. He was staring at her determinedly, waiting for some form of explanation and Beckett rolled her eyes.

"We didn't have lunch, so I thought we could have dinner together."

"Right. So you thought you'd just come over and start making what seems to be the best smelling pasta sauce in the world?"

"What else do you want me to say, Castle? Give me some help here, because I've got no clue. I'm making you dinner, because we missed lunch, the circumstances for which by the way, is really confusing, because this morning I thought we were enjoying ourselves until for some odd reason you said you were _sorry_ that we spent this morning with each other!"

He brought his hand up to rub against his face, clearly exhausted from the day's events and she felt slightly guilty for snapping at him. He rolled his neck and sighed heavily.

"Are you over Josh?" The question was so unexpected that it took her several seconds for it to sink in.

"Wh-What does that have to do with anything I just said?"

The moment the words were out of her mouth, she knew it had been the wrong thing to say. She backpedalled.

"I mean – okay, I'm answering your question. Yes, I'm over him. I'm moving on from that part of my life." She brushed a stray lock of hair away from her face. "Hopefully, moving on to better things." She added, gazing meaningfully at him.

His eyes met hers from across the room, the implications of her words not lost upon him. He opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly there was a soft knock on the door and a redhead poked itself into the area. Beckett was slightly disappointed that the moment had been lost, but then reminded herself that the night was still young. She grinned at Alexis, reassuring the young girl that no one had been killed or maimed in anyway – and received a similar smile in return.

"Dinner's ready guys. Grams says that if you two don't hurry up, she'll have to miss dinner and leave for that thing in that place with that guy. Or something."

Castle let out a hearty chuckle, the first of the evening, and Beckett couldn't ignore the warm fuzzy feeling that spread through her when she heard the heartfelt laughter.

"Right, dinner it is then. Let's see if her dinner making skills are comparable to her breakfast making ones, shall we?" He said, straightening up and holding out his hand to lead them out. Beckett stepped in front of him, exiting his office. His earlier irritation seemed to have been forgotten as she felt the soft touch of his hand resting on the small of her back while they walked to the kitchen. She leaned back into it, enjoying the thrill of once again feeling his hand on her.

00000

All her hopes of being able to take some food back to her place as leftovers were dashed when she realised the Castles were really, really big eaters. She already knew Castle could eat, but Alexis and Martha both polishing off third helpings of the pasta made her think that it was most probably in the genes.

"Best. Pasta. Ever."

"Dad, you don't have to repeat that so many times, I think we get the point," Alexis flicked her father's ear, eliciting a playful scowl from him. He pulled away from his daughter, leaning towards Beckett across the table and winked.

"Still the best pasta ever."

"Thanks, Castle. I'm glad you guys liked it," she said, suddenly self-conscious. Everyone had ooh-ed and aah-ed while they had been eating, and Beckett was quickly running out of variations of 'thank you's that she could reply them with.

"I'd get you to give me the recipe, darling, but I won't because it means you'd just have to come over to make it for us whenever we feel like it," Martha said as she stood up and started to clear up the dinner table. Beckett moved to help her, but Alexis and Castle both shook their heads and glared at her.

"You made dinner, we clean up. It's the least we can do," Alexis told her. "Grams and I have got this dad, we don't need you to help either."

Castle looked up at his daughter, surprised. Beckett watched as some sort of silent communication took place between father and daughter, eyebrows were raised, heads were tilting, fingers were subtly pointing.

Interesting.

It seemed Castle had lost whatever argument they were silently having though, because she found him suddenly standing behind her, pulling her chair out as she stood up. Chivalry certainly wasn't dead in the Castle household.

"Um. They don't need us helping, so ... you think maybe you want to finish that conversation now?"

Even after three years, his way of getting straight to the point – when it didn't involve some form of weaving an intricate story – still came as a surprise. He never hesitated to tell her she looked good (hot) or that she always had someone to talk to (call me) or that she could count on him to be there for her (always). It seemed that the same bluntness applied to initiating potentially awkward conversations as well.

They moved into the office again, this time opting to lean against his desk side by side facing his enormous bookshelf.

"You didn't overstep this morning, you know?" She began. "There was no need to be sorry. For any of it."

Castle looked at her, furrowing his eyebrows. "I … I know you've said it – that I'm the one, yeah. But, sometimes it's just hard to believe for me. I know you meant it when you said it, and I'm not saying – God, I'm making such a mess out of this."

He was nervous, she could tell. His usual eloquence with words had departed him and he was not making much sense. She reached out and grasped his hand in hers, raising it so their joined hands were in his line of sight.

"Do you see this? Am I pulling away from you? When you practically dragged me all over the bookstore with your arms around me, when we got lunch two days ago, when I kissed you in the elevator at the precinct – does _any_ of that say that I'm not enjoying myself with you?"

"… No."

"Then why the _hell_ are you sorry for any of that?"

"I – I don't know, Beckett."

The confusion in his face was adorable. It was clear that he'd been astonished by her sudden tirade, but she wasn't going to take any of it back. He was biting his lip and he had a faraway look on his face, as if he was trying to form the sentences in his head before saying them out loud. It was a first for him, thinking before he spoke, and it was this fact that made her realise that whatever that came out from his mouth next would be _big_.

"It's just that you said you weren't ready yet," Castle said carefully. "I was just … waiting. I didn't want to make you _less_ ready by pushing for something you weren't comfortable with. And I didn't want … you looked at Josh today like – "

Oh _hell_ no. Not again. Gotta nip this in the bud, Katie.

"Stop. Stop right there, okay? I told you I'm over Josh. Please, at the very least understand that. That look, the one you saw on my face before you ditched me at Remy's? It was because I haven't been out on my bike in a long time, and I kind of miss it a little. The bike riding, okay? Not Josh."

The change in him was astounding. It was the smile that graced his face first, then the crinkle of his eyes when the smile morphed into a wide grin – his shoulders sagging as if a heavy weight had been lifted from him.

"I don't know why you're so surprised, I told you then that it wasn't Josh," she muttered. "But I'm going to assume that you were just not listening. As usual."

"Hey, I listen!" He protested. He glanced pointedly back down at their clasped hands and squeezed. "I listened when you said you're okay with this, and that I shouldn't be sorry for it."

"Yeah."

"Kate?"

"Castle."

His smile hadn't completely disappeared, but it was now accompanied by a look of sincerity that sent her heart racing. He moved from his place beside her to stand face to face with her. His gaze was unwavering, even as he moved closer, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I need to say something else."

"Okay," she said, completely at a loss as to what he was trying to get at.

"I know we've had this conversation before, but … when you're ready for us, I _really_ need you to be sure about it. You must know that for me, you're it. And if you'll allow me, I'll spend the rest of my life trying to prove it to you. There's no turning back for me, Beckett."

She heard him suck in a shaky breath at his admission and realised that in that moment, he'd played every single one of his cards and everything else was now left up to her.

All or nothing, Katie. The pain of the summer she never spoke of was nearly gone, it didn't hurt to think about it anymore – and she'd come to terms with the fact that in _that_ case, she hadn't been totally blameless either. Here stood the man whose support had been steadfast and resolute for the better part of three years. Here stood the man who had saved her life, lived with her, almost died with her, wrote three freaking books based on her – and here he was promising to be with her for the rest of his life.

God, she'd been so _blind_. So fucking, goddamned -

"I'm ready for us, Castle."

His eyes widened in shock and she raised a finger to silence him before he had a chance to voice whatever it was on his mind. She needed to get everything out. He asked for this, and it was her turn to talk.

"If the last few days have taught me anything, it's that I have _been_ ready. I just needed to take the time to realise it. Being with you, it makes me so … so happy, Castle. Just having coffee, browsing the store – hell, grabbing lunch with you at a hot dog stand, it makes me so insanely happy."

"I thought I was going to die in front of that dirty bomb. I was _going to die_. And you know what was the only thing going through my mind at the time? That it was so tragically beautiful that it was _you_ I got to die next to. Not Josh, not my dad – not in the last few seconds anyway – not my mother's killer. It was you. That at least, if we … if we _both_ died, then _I_ wouldn't have had to suffer through a life without you."

She finished in a near whisper, clenching her eyes shut at the sheer intensity of the memory. She remembered the longing she'd felt when he left the precinct, wanting to go after him to erase the hurt on his face, but she had had Josh then – Josh who had cradled her trembling body, not knowing she had wished he was someone else.

"Oh, Kate," his voice belied the emotions on his face and he reached out to her, pulling her so she fell in to him, burying her nose in the crook of his shoulder. Her heart throbbed loudly against her chest, every beat magnified by the fact that oh-my-god-she'd-just-told-him-_every-freakin'-thing_!

Castle's fingers were weaving through her hair, her golden tresses falling between his fingers as he gently pulled her head back. Without her heels, she was nearly half a head shorter than he was and being that close to him further emphasised the height difference. She watched him. She watched him as his eyes took every detail of her face, moving from her hairline to her eyes, down to her nose and finally resting on her lips.

"Beckett?"

"Yeah, Castle?"

Her hand glided up his arm, tracing non-existent lines up his elbow, his bicep, and then coming to rest on his shoulder. His hands in turn left her hair and gravitated to her waist as if he was trying to hold himself steady while his mind short-circuited from the intensity of their contact.

"I think I'm going to kiss you now."

Beckett's eyes twinkled in delight at that and the hand on his shoulder twitched, applying a gentle pressure to bring him closer to her.

And then there were fireworks.

The moment his lips claimed hers, it was as though a million fireworks had been set off in her brain.  
>Sparks of desire ignited within her bloodstream as his grip on her waist tightened, pulling her flush against him.<p>

Both her hands migrated to the back of his neck, urging him forward – deeper into their kiss. His lips moved sinfully against hers, not rough, not gentle – but so pleasantly perfect that when he brought his tongue into play, she almost wanted to tell him to go back to purely pressing his lips against hers.

_Almost_.

She couldn't help but let a moan of satisfaction escape her and it spurred him on, crowding her against the counter. In one swift movement, his hands lifted her effortlessly and suddenly her legs were crossed around her ankles, holding his hips tight between them. Her tongue danced with his erotically, taking everything he gave her and responding with twice as much passion.

God, she was in so much trouble.

His hips pressed into the juncture of her thighs and the movement sent another jolt of electricity through her veins. Her head was positioned slightly above his, a result of him placing her on the desk and she leaned forward, rocking against him. Her hands reached for his hair, tugging gently as she guided him to her collarbone.

"Ka-te," he hissed against her skin, eliciting a small smile from her. His hands left her waist and moved to stroke the outside of her thighs.

"No, don't stop," she groaned, pulling him to her again. "_More_."

Beckett didn't care if she sounded like a petulant ten year old, the things he was doing to her rendered her incapable of anything else but to demand that he continue. Her senses came alive, every touch, bite, lick – sent her nerves into a frenzy and if she was going to be brutally honest with herself, nothing, _nothing_ she'd ever experienced before compared to the series of less-than-innocent kisses Castle was bestowing upon her.

"Beckett."

Once again he tilted his head backwards, breathing heavily. They parted slowly, though her legs remained locked loosely around his torso.

"Yeah?" she panted out between breaths, a glint of annoyance flashing in eyes.

"…better. Better than before," he mumbled.

She didn't have to think very hard about what he was referring to, after all that first kiss had been the subject of many of her dreams lately.

"Yeah. Yeah, definitely," she was still breathless, remnants of their passion coursing through her body. Why the hell had they waited so long to do that?

"Dad?"

Alexis' voice startled them both, but her legs were still around his hips and he couldn't move very much. The young red head popped her head into the office, took one look at their proximity and her face split into a wide grin.

"Seriously?" she exclaimed, not finding it awkward at all that she'd pretty much caught her dad making out with Beckett. Instead, her eyes were darting back and forth between the two of them excitedly and Beckett could tell that she was trying to suppress the full extent of her emotions.

Blushing furiously, the detective untangled her legs and gently shoved Castle away as she hopped off the desk. She straightened her top and bit her lip – it was obvious that she was going to have to take it from there seeing as how Castle hadn't quite recovered.

"Um. Yeah. Seriously," she said.

"Finally!" Alexis entered the office fully then and walked over to her father. "Oh, Grams will be so upset she missed this! I came to tell you that she had to leave to her party."

Secretly, Beckett was glad that Martha had already left. The woman was so unpredictable that catching them red handed would have most likely resulted in so much unnecessary drama, and she didn't need any more drama in her life.

"Anyway, I'll leave you two … to it then. I'll be upstairs, in my room. My door will be closed." With that, she disappeared through the doorway.

Beckett turned to Castle indignantly. "Castle, I could have used some help there!"

"You were doing fine on your own – I wasn't … uh. Couldn't think straight yet," he said apologetically. He reached out to her, but she swatted his hand away in mock irritation.

"Your daughter is going to be scarred for life," she said.

"Nah, I don't think so. She hasn't caught us having sex yet," he winked at her playfully before ducking. Beckett had sent a book from his shelf flying towards him, not amused at his attempt at humour.

"A bit presumptuous of you, assuming that we're going to have sex."

"Look me in the eye and tell me you don't want a piece of me," he retorted, slowly unbuttoning his top. He was teasing her, she knew – but she couldn't tear her eyes away from his movements. Those fingers had been amazing earlier, touching and stroking and pressing so deliciously – now they were aiding in revealing more skin and oh god her mouth was so dry –

"I gotta go," she blurted out.

Castle cocked his head, the teasing glint in his eye disappearing.

"I mean, it's late, and I have to work tomorrow. Not that I regret anything that's just happened tonight," she reassured him. "And no, I'm not going to stay, because I think we've traumatised your daughter enough for one night."

He pouted. "She said she'd be in her room, with the door closed!"

Beckett laughed. Any other day, she'd probably be game enough to risk it – push the boundaries of their new found intimacy, but this night, right then – she knew if she gave in to his persistence, she'd lose any hope at all of her regaining control over her body and her senses. The entire day had been a form of foreplay for her, from their semi-date to their passionate confession to the even more passionate culmination of their confessions. She needed to pull back, regain her bearings and maybe the next day, she'd feel more in control of herself.

"Not tonight, Castle, 'kay?"

He made a show of pouting, but then nodded reluctantly. "I know. I get it. I feel it too. God, amazing isn't it?"

He'd pulled her in for a hug then and she raised herself on her toes to give him a quick peck on the lips to bid him goodnight.

Big mistake.

Before she knew it, she was backed against his shelf, the ridges of the books digging into her back uncomfortably as she tightened her legs around him. Oh, he felt so good. He was nibbling on her lower lip, sending so much pleasure shooting through her. His hands were floating beneath her shirt, caressing every inch of skin he encountered and she groaned against his lips.

"Castle," she hissed as his hand travelled lower, sliding along the waistband of her jeans. She curled her fingers in his hair, pressing him even harder against her lips. She lost herself for a moment, allowing his tongue to glide over hers – until a sharp pain shot through her back. Damn bookshelves were not conducive for making out against.

"Castle – _Rick_!" she tried again.

Using his first name seemed to have worked, he was pulling back and she slid down on shaky legs.

"Uh. I like that '_Rick'_. You should use it more often, I think," he said hoarsely.

"Tell you what, let me get home and I'll definitely think about it," she murmured. She then shook her head. This was precisely why she needed to go home and sleep. Calling him Rick more often? Yeah, her brain obviously wasn't functioning at full capacity.

"Uh … I guess I'll walk you out then?" he offered, seemingly at a loss for words. She didn't blame him, she was finding it hard to form coherent sentences as well.

They trudged out to his front door in relative silence, and once they got there he grinned at her.

"I'll see you tomorrow then?"

She tiptoed and kissed his cheek – no way was she going near his lips again – breaking into a small smile herself.

"Until tomorrow, Rick."

00000

_How was it? Out of character? In character? Too much talking? Was it hot and steamy enough? __**Not**__ hot and steamy enough? Or just the right amount of hot and steaminess? Let me know :)_

_Thanks for reading!_

_Come visit at http:/ / griever11(dot)tumblr(dot)com_


	6. Exposure

_Previously: Beckett cooks dinner for Castle. Beckett and Castle (finally) come to terms with their feelings for one another and then they make out at the loft. _

_All mistakes are and always will be mine. _

**Exposure  
><strong>_In which Castle and Beckett find time to sneak in some old school lovin' while the author tries her hand at writing a case into the story._

00000

It felt as if her head had barely touched her pillow before Beckett was roused from sleep by the harsh ringing tone from her cell phone. The familiar voice of the dispatcher relayed the message to her – murder, address, ASAP. It was nothing she hadn't heard before and she worked on autopilot, her mind still trying to dust off the last cobwebs of sleep from her mind. She held the phone between her neck and her shoulder, simultaneously taking down the address and pulling on the jeans she'd left out the night before.

The lingering memory of her heated exchange with Castle mere hours before was pushed to the back of her mind as the call ended and she tossed her cell onto the bed. It allowed her the full use of both her hands and the transformation from a sleep deprived Kate Beckett to Detective Beckett, one of the finest of the 12th precinct, began.

A short shower, a dash of makeup and a quick comb through her hair later, she decided that she looked decent enough to leave the apartment. Beckett snagged her bag off the kitchen table and slammed her front door shut, not particularly caring that it was three in the morning and the ruckus would have woken one or two of her neighbours up. Her cell phone was against her ear once again as she got into her car and she waited for her partner to answer.

Partner.

_Yeah_, right.

"Beckett?"

"No, _I'm_ Beckett. Answer your phone properly, Castle."

"You're testy this morning. Caught a case?"

"Yeah, what else? I can pick you up or you can meet us there, your choice. It's not far from yours."

"I'll meet you there. It's three in the morning, and I _do_ sleep, honey, so I'm going to need some time to actually get out of bed."

His unintentional slip made her start and she pulled the phone away from her ear. _Honey? _She glared at the phone for a beat before placing it back against her ear, catching the end of Castle's sentence.

" … mean that in a friendly sort of way, like 'pal' or 'buddy', and definitely not some cute couple nickname that I have for – "

She sighed. "Castle. Shut up. It's fine. Just be there in half an hour. I can't take your babble this early in the morning."

Beckett didn't give him a chance to say anything else before reciting the address of the crime scene and hanging up. She trusted that he knew her well enough not to take offence with her curt tone – she still needed her caffeine after all. Besides, she figured that she could just make it up to him later. She allowed a sly smile to cross her features before backing up and leaving her parking spot.

00000

The flashing lights of the cop cars were blinding in the early morning. She strode up to the police tape and bent to go under it, coming to stand beside her two detectives. The naked body at her feet was drowning in blood and she was careful not to step on any part of it.

"What have we got, boys?"

"Murder, bloody murder," Ryan grinned at her, way too chipper for that time of the morning.

"Vic looks like he's been smashed to death – I'm thinkin' crime of passion," Esposito piped up, pointing his pen to the mangled body. "He was found naked, no forms of ID on him."

"So, male vic, possibly mid-thirties, naked with no I.D. Not much to work with here, boys."

Esposito shrugged. "We've got unis canvassing the area for possible witnesses, but yeah. It's not looking too good at the moment considering what time it is."

"Okay, right. I'm going to talk to Lanie. You guys knock on doors to see if neighbours have – oh God, I smell coffee," she whirled around just in time to see Castle striding towards her with a plain Styrofoam cup in his hand. She held out her hand expectantly as he approached and grasped at the warm cup before taking in a deep breath, allowing the smell to invade her nostrils. Just _smelling_ it made her feel more awake.

"Smells different," she murmured to no one in particular, turning her back to Castle before swallowing a huge mouthful.

"Yeah, I didn't have time to go see if our regular spot was open at this time of the day, so I made one for you from home," Castle said, his voice like velvet against her ear. She could feel his sturdy presence behind her, his free hand coming to rest low on her back. She leaned slightly into it, enjoying their sudden closeness.

And then she noticed the stares Esposito and Ryan were giving them.

"Did I stutter? Go question the neighbours. I'm going to talk to Lanie," she snapped at them as she inched away from her partner. Castle smirked and followed her as she made her way to the Medical Examiner's van.

"Did you have to do that, Castle?" She knew he knew what she was referring to, and true enough his hand left her back instantly, dropping back to his side.

"Good morning to you too, Detective. And you can't fool me, you _enjoyed_ it."

"I did," she gave him a smile and wiped it off almost immediately. "But I'm not in the mood, Castle. It's too damn early, and I think you didn't make this coffee strong enough."

She ignored his hand that just slightly grazed against hers as they walked together, letting his knuckles slide over the back of her hand as they walked side by side to Lanie.

"Hey Lanie, got a TOD for me?" Castle asked before Beckett had a chance to swallow her gulp of coffee. Lanie raised an eyebrow at him and then turned questioningly to Beckett.

"Uh, I mean for us. You have a TOD for _us_?" he backtracked.

"Good save, Castle. Vic here died around midnight. Preliminary findings indicate he bled out, but I won't know for sure until I get him back to the morgue."

"What are you doing way over here anyway, aren't you usually near the body?" Beckett asked, pointing back to the naked man on the ground a few feet away.

"Had to get some tools and an evidence bag. I found a shard of metal embedded in one of the stab wounds. Might help identify the weapon."

Lanie shut the door to the van and stepped out to go back to the body. Beckett and Castle had both started walking in front of her and she noticed that Castle had been subtly brushing his fingers over Beckett's hand. Lanie waited for the usual indignant flare from the Detective, but after a few more casual strokes, it appeared that Beckett wasn't going to punish him for it. In fact, Lanie noticed that Beckett seemed to have drifted closer to her partner as they walked; their shoulders barely inches apart.

_Interesting_.

It was then that she noticed that Beckett had curled her pinky around Castle's and Lanie nearly tripped, falling over her own shoes. Her two friends stepped further away from each other as they turned around at the commotion, their hands no longer joined. Beckett fixed Lanie with a suspicious look.

"You okay there, Lanie?"

"Uh huh. I'm good. In fact, better than okay," she said as she narrowed her eyes mischievously and pushed past them. "_Pinky_ promise."

Lanie didn't miss the rise of colour in Beckett's cheeks, realising that she'd been caught. "Shut up, Lanie," Beckett muttered. There was no point in trying to deny anything anyway. The best thing to do was to make sure no one made a big deal out of it in the middle of the crime scene.

00000

The victim turned out to be one Kendall Torres, a fact that was discovered only because they had managed to identify him by his dental records. A quick scan through their system also revealed that he had a prior record for assault, lodged by both his daughter and his ex-wife. The injuries were confirmed to have been made with a metal pipe, one of many that had been lying around the crime scene and the cause of death had indeed been from bleeding out.

It was close to two hours after they'd arrived back at the precinct that Beckett managed to locate his ex-wife and daughter. A quick call to their residence had set off her gut instinct; Cecille Anders, the ex-wife, didn't sound overly upset or surprised over the phone. She sent Ryan and Esposito out to see if they could bring them both in for questioning.

Castle was half dozing on her desk, his head pillowed against his forearms. She'd let him be, not really needing his help for the preliminary investigation and as she waited for her detectives to return to the precinct, she preoccupied herself with staring at his sleeping form.

"I thought you said staring was creepy, Detective Hypocrite," Castle said sleepily, his voice still muffled against his arms.

"Yeah, but it never stopped _you_ from doing it."

"How's the case going?" He raised his head and angled his neck, wincing as it cracked from the lack of movement over the last two hours.

"Unis are going through Torres' apartment for leads, they'll call if something out of the ordinary pops up. Ryan and Esposito are bringing the daughter and ex-wife in for questioning. Seems like their divorce wasn't a very amicable one," she told him.

He grunted and laid his head back down on her desk. Beckett bit her lip and in an unexpected moment of quirkiness, ran her fingers into his hair, squeezed and pulled, lifting his head from its sleeping position.

"Ow, Beckett! Stop, stop – apples! Jeez!"

She grinned as he shot up, now more than fully awake and rubbing his head where her fingers had been not two seconds before.

"This isn't day care, Castle. If you're not up for this, just go home and get some sleep."

"No, no, I'll stay. I'll just … ugh, that seriously hurt, Beckett. "

Beckett knew she hadn't pulled that hard and that Castle was probably exaggerating, but whether it was from the lack of sleep or the general adorable-ness of Castle's 'just woke up' look, she found herself grinning at him, reaching out to his head once more. He flinched backwards, expecting another attack, but she was quicker and she cupped the back of his head, bringing it closer to her and she leaned in to place a kiss on his forehead.

"Better, Castle?"

Once more, he found himself rendered speechless.

By the time he registered what just happened, she'd already turned away from him, focusing back on the murder board.

"Evil woman," he mumbled as he too turned to the board. It was bare, only filled with the bits of information that they knew but Castle knew that it was bound to be filled up by the end of the day. It was still really early in the morning after all.

"I'm going to make coffee, do you want another one, Beckett?" he asked as he stood from his chair and stretched, attempting to remove the sleep from his bones.

Beckett turned to him and nodded. "Actually, I'll come with you. Nothing is going get done just staring at the board anyway."

The break room was soon engulfed in the aroma of freshly brewed coffee. Castle expertly frothed the milk and poured it into their respective mugs, handing one to Beckett once he was done. She sipped it appreciatively and leaned back against the wall in the corner of the room, enjoying the temporary respite from the case. She knew once the boys got back with the two women, she'd have to put her Detective Beckett persona back on and get down to some serious detective business.

Castle seemed to sense this and decided to take advantage of the momentary lull in the case. He finished his coffee, barely even noticing the scalding temperature before he stepped in front of Beckett, placing a hand next to each of her sides against the wall. Beckett was trapped with barely any space to move and she raised an eyebrow at him.

"What do you think you're doing?" She asked, a dangerous tone seeping into her voice.

Her voice cracked halfway through her question and she couldn't help but lower her gaze to his lips as he loomed over her. Damn, he was really tall.

"I don't know. It's really early and I'm not really capable of _thinking_ about doing anything," he answered honestly, closing in on her. Beckett still had her empty mug in her hand and she pushed it against his chest in an attempt to create some distance between them, but to no avail. He resisted her gentle push and stepped closer still.

"Castle, I'm wearing my gun," she warned, but even as she the words fell from her lips, she knew they held no real threat. Her body was responding to his close proximity, sending shivers down her spine and she really didn't want him to move farther away, despite her contradicting actions.

"I just …" he was whispering now, his lips brushing against her earlobe. Beckett was well aware that they were still in the break room, in full view of anyone who could walk by, but she was content, and warm and so goddamned turned on that she didn't really care.

They were huddled in the corner, out of sight from the big glass windows and for the moment, Beckett decided that it was enough. It was still really early, she reasoned to herself. No one was around anyway. One of his hands found their way to her waist and grasped it, pulling her slightly to him and she followed willingly. She was flirting with fire and she loved every minute of it.

"You smell so good," he said huskily.

They were pressed up against each other, her hands falling to fist his shirt in her hands as he forced their bodies together. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she realised her mug had fallen from her grasp, but the lack of noise from shattering glass indicated that nothing had been broken. She raised an arm to pull his head down and –

Oh, finally.

His lips, oh God. His lips were so gentle against the skin of her neck and she clenched her eyes shut as she felt molten heat flow through her veins from his contact. Their knees knocked against one another and she pushed one of her legs between his just as he applied a gentle suction to her neck and she gasped. One of her hands travelled up his side to sink into his hair, clutching the short strands in an effort to remain upright.

"Shit, Castle," she moaned. She could feel his grin against her neck, and she tightened the hold she had on him. "You gotta … gotta stop. If you leave a mark, so help me, Cas-"

"Shh, I'm busy," he murmured as he nipped her skin with careless abandon. He hadn't even touched her lips yet!

As if he was reading her mind, he lifted his head and after a cautious look around them, he brought his lips down on hers. It didn't take long before she was parting her lips, a breathy moan escaping her as their tongues touched in a wild frenzy of desire. Her other hand slipped from his shirt to his hair, pulling him – begging him to press harder against her.

Beckett knew the situation was getting slightly out of hand, feeling the control slipping through her fingers the longer she allowed him to assault her senses. Every inch of her was deliciously in contact with him, his teeth nipping at her lips – his tongue soothing his bites immediately after. She could feel his excitement, his hips gently pulsing against her own in a tender simulation of something they both really wanted to do but couldn't, for fear of being thrown out of the precinct.

The precinct. Shit.

She moved her hands from his hair to place them against his chest, pushing gently.

"Castle, c'mon… not here."

He finally pulled back and blinked rapidly at her, as though he was waking up from a very good dream. Beckett exhaled and extricated herself from his hold, putting a good two feet between them.

Beckett took a moment to calm her nerves, forcing her heart to resume beating at a normal rate. Castle was grinning sheepishly at her, well aware of what they'd just done – in public, no less.

"Wipe that smile off your face, Castle. This is not going to happen ever again," she grumbled. She bent to pick the fallen mug from the ground, but Castle nudged her and she straightened up again.

"What, Castle?"

"Never gonna happen – at work, or never gonna happen, like generally?" He seemed genuinely curious and Beckett couldn't help but afford him a reassuring smile.

"Making out with you at work, you mean?" She ran a finger lightly across his jaw. She leaned in to place a chaste kiss on his lips, before shuffling back and winking at him. "No, not happening. Making out with you anywhere else, though, I'm open to that idea."

She knew she was being a tease, but the look on his face was priceless. Eyes wide, mouth open in an 'o' of surprise – yeah, so worth it.

Beckett could tell the moment what she just said sank in. His surprised look morphed to one of devilish glee, and he opened his mouth to say something. Before he could however, he was interrupted by two men crashing loudly into the break room, pushing themselves through the doorway that wasn't big enough for them to enter simultaneously.

Beckett shook her head in irritation as Esposito and Ryan straightened, smart enough to at least look embarrassed at their display of childishness.

"We got 'em, Beckett. They're in Interrogation, if you want to question them. What were you two talking about?" Ryan asked, pointing to the fallen coffee mug and Castle's dishevelled look. Beckett snuck a glance at her reflection on the glass window and was satisfied that she looked decent enough to pull off the innocent act.

"We needed coffee. It's still too early for either of us to function properly," she told them, picking up the mug and placing it in the sink. Castle nodded beside her in agreement and yawned for effect.

"Right. Sure," Esposito drawled. Nope, they weren't fooling him, especially not after their minor display of affection at the crime scene earlier that morning.

"Think what you want, Esposito. Some of us have a murder to solve," Beckett snapped testily at him before she strode out of the break room.

00000

Watching Detective Beckett the 'Master Interrogator' was always an interesting experience. In the three years Castle had ben shadowing her, he'd noticed that she always had a plan before going in for the kill, depending on the kind of information she wanted to extract.

It was almost like a dance, a very _deadly_ dance if the occasion called for it and Castle enjoyed watching it as much as he did participating in them. Standing behind the one-way mirror, he took note of the casual stance she'd adopted as she walked into the room and figured out that she was going for the 'I'm your friend, tell me anything' approach.

The younger woman – the daughter, Summer Torres, looked barely eighteen, sporting a dark, pixie cut hair. She was small built and if not for the eyebrow piercing, the perpetual angry scowl on her face and very thick eyeliner, she could have passed off as just an average teenager. Her mother on the other hand, was the splitting image of a woman from the Upper East Side. She was immaculately dressed, not a strand of hair out of place and carried herself with an air of sophistication that could have only been honed after years of upper class upbringing.

Castle took in their demeanour, knowing that on the other side of the mirror, Beckett was doing the exact same thing. The mother seemed almost at ease in the room but Castle could tell that the girl was harbouring some very strong emotions underneath her stoic exterior. Her fists were clenched shut against her thighs and she refused to respond to Beckett's greeting as she entered the room. If looks could kill, Beckett would be fending off some very vicious attacks from the girl's intense glare.

Beckett sat down in the chair opposite them and folded her arms in front of her on the table, subtly pushing the folder containing the images from the crime scene towards the two other females in the room.

The dance began.

00000

The interrogation lasted a full half an hour before a lawyer was demanded. It turned out that the daughter had far more to hide than Beckett first expected and dear mother had been none the wiser. Castle was waiting for her as she emerged from the room and she was grateful for his presence.

"You think the daughter did it?"

"Maybe," Beckett muttered as they walked back to her desk. "Can't do much now that lawyers are involved. Did you notice anything while you were watching?"

"She was lying about being with her boyfriend that night, if that's what you mean. She was all … fidgety when she said it."

"Yeah, I caught that too. I'm going to get the boys to bring him in."

"You know, the kid could have just done it. I say go back in there and grill her until you get a confession," Castle offered, letting out another yawn as they approached her desk.

Three heads turned to look at Castle. He shrugged. "What, you can't expect every killer to be part of some big conspiracy theory."

Yeah, he realised how odd that sounded coming from him, but honestly? He was working on barely three hours of sleep. He wasn't functioning at a 100%.

"That may be the case, but it doesn't mean we rule out the possibility that something else is going on here. What happened to being 'here for the story', Castle? Isn't that theory too … simple for you?" Beckett asked her partner. It was true, usually Castle would jump at the opportunity to create some farfetched scenario but this time he seemed to come up short.

"That girl gave me the creeps. I just think that if we worked out what she's hiding, we'd be that much closer to solving this."

He moved to stand beside her, facing the murder board. "Besides, I can think of better things I'd rather be doing," he murmured in her ear.

Beckett whipped her head around, nearly knocking him off balance and gifted him with an angry glare. "I _said_ not here," she hissed, her eyes darting around to see if anyone had caught what he said.

He smirked. "What, I meant like, eat, or something. What did you think I meant, Miss Brain-in-the-gutter?"

She narrowed her eyes at him, and the next thing he knew he was squealing in pain as her fingers grasped his ear and twisted. Hard. She got up, her fingers still firmly wrapped around his ear and dragged him away from the board, striding past her two very bewildered detectives.

"Castle, I have to focus, okay. I want to solve this just as much as you do, and if you can't stop distracting me, I need you to go home," she whispered as soon as they rounded a corner, far from prying eyes of the other detectives who had started filling in to start their day. Castle nodded silently and Beckett let go of his ear.

"Go with Ryan, pick up the boyfriend now, before Summer has a chance to warn him. No, I'm not taking no for an answer and if I hear another word from you, I'm sending you home."

Beckett wasn't kidding and Castle knew it. He resigned himself to his fate and walked back to the bullpen, notably more subdued and sidled up next to Ryan and Esposito. Beckett watched him sulking away in amusement before she picked up the file she'd left on her desk and started re-reading it.

Before the lawyers had been called in, she'd managed to confirm that neither woman were in consistent contact with Kendall Torres, which meant that if her (and Castle's, she supposed) hunch about Summer turned out to be wrong, she needed another lead.

God, she needed another coffee.

00000

In a fortunate twist of events, the moment they brought the boyfriend in that same afternoon, Beckett knew that the case was nearing its close. The first thing she learned as a beat cop moving towards getting her detective badge was that a case only lasted as long as its weakest link.

Dan Isles was the Torres Case's weakest link.

Castle had ambled in ahead of the other two detectives, whispering an excited "We've so got thisssss," in her ear, before producing a large cup of coffee and placing it on her desk. She grinned up at him, his elation was contagious and as Ryan dragged the boy – handcuffed – she noticed, she knew what he meant. He was a seedy looking boy and was simpering wordlessly as he was lead to the interrogation room. She eyed the handcuffs and Ryan shrugged.

"Resisted arrest and tried to lay one on Castle here. I had to."

She got up from her seat, shuffled her paperwork around and cracked her knuckles. Castle raised an eyebrow in silent question and she shook her head.

"I've got this. Watch if you want, or you can run out and get me something to eat or lunch – either way, you're not coming in with me. You're too distracting today," she said.

His pout at her dismissal only lasted a good five seconds before he decided that watching her take the boy down would be more interesting than pushing through the lunch rush at Remy's. It was show time.

00000

"Where were you between ten to midnight last night, Dan?"

"Out. Had a party, came home late."

Beckett raised an eyebrow, but didn't let her eyes leave the folder she had spread out in front of her. "Can anyone verify that? Some friends, maybe?"

"Look, lady, it was a big party. I'm not even sure who was there, okay?"

"Was Summer there?"

"Sum..mer?"

Beckett risked a glance at the one-way mirror, a triumphant smile curling at the edges of her mouth. "Yes, your girlfriend, Summer. Was she there? I'm sure you'd remember if she was there, right, Dan?"

"She … was, for a while. Yeah, yeah – she was there. For sure," he said, but Beckett caught sight of his fingers trembling against his thighs, the beads of sweat that were forming across his forehead. Shifty eyes – the most obvious tell of someone who was lying.

"What was she wearing, Dan? How long was she there for? Did she get there by herself? Did she go home by herself? Start talking, Dan, or I'm going to get very, very angry."

"Look – "

"I _am_ looking, Dan. I'm looking and all I see is you, hiding something from me that could help with the investigation. You wanna know what that means here? It's obstruction of justice. Obstruction meaning being in the way of my investigation. Wanna know what I do with people like you, Dan?"

Beckett had been glaring at him intensely, punctuating each sentence by poking the folder in front of her and allowing him to catch glimpses of the mangled body of his girlfriend's father. She knew she was being harsh, but the guy was making it easy. His eyes were red, holding back tears as he turned away from the table and his interrogator.

He broke.

"I'm sure she didn't mean it, detective," he whispered. "She's always so angry, and she hates him – her dad. She hates him, but I'm sure she didn't do it. She … she can't have. I mean, they're just words, Detective."

Castle, outside the room instantly felt bad for the young man. He sounded so sincere, honest and his reaction to the photos seemed genuine enough. He watched as Beckett continued staring at the boy, knowing he still had more to say.

"Wanna tell me what _words_ you're talking about, Dan?"

"If – if she _said_ that she was going to kill him. She just _said_ it, because Frances – Frances was just fooling around with him. Does that … does that mean … "

Almost immediately, Castle felt the rush of adrenaline coursing through him. Castle was itching to be in the room with Dan, itching to coax the story out of the boy, itching to spin some wild theory as to how a daughter could ever propose to kill her own father. Beckett seemed to have experienced the same thing, straightening up and fixing a steady gaze on Dan.

"Dan, I'm going to need to ask you to tell me _everything_."

00000

Summer _had_ indeed killed her father. One teary, angry, violent interrogation later, Summer cracked and sobbed into her mother's suit – much to the latter's disgust – about how she stabbed her father to death after finding out that he had had a wild and torrid affair with one of her friends - Frances.

The lawyer had been dumbstruck, as they usually were when Beckett unleashed her mastery on them, and the girl had confessed freely to stabbing her father. Summer had been taking a walk when she spied her Frances' car parked on the side of the road where they'd found the body. She'd seen her father, stark naked in the backseat and in a fit of blind rage had pulled open the door, yanked her father out and grabbed the nearest object she could find.

As her friend drove away in fright, Summer bludgeoned her father to death with a metal pipe she found sitting by the side of the road. The evidence had been disposed of carefully, dumped into a sewage drain down the street where the body was found.

00000

"She _killed_ her father."

"We know, Castle. Don't need to repeat it a million times," Esposito groaned from his desk, knee deep in paperwork. Beckett watched the exchange silently, her own mound of paperwork remaining untouched next to her monitor. After the initial exhilaration of realising they'd solved a case in less than twenty four hours – something that was rare to come by, the excitement had died down and Castle had been strangely silent, save for the occasional 'she killed her father' now and again.

"Castle," she murmured softly as he once again pulled out the folder to thumb through the crime scene images. "Stop looking at the pictures."

His eyes met hers, and she was mildly shocked to see the sadness in them. The frown lines on his forehead were more distinct, his eyebrows furrowed in a look of sorrow and regret.

"D-do you think Alexis would ever kill me?"

His question came in from so far off the left field that she dropped the pen she'd been twirling in her hand. "What?"

"I mean, I'm always here. I'm always getting into trouble and she's … actually, never mind. Sorry. Go back to your paperwork. I can proof read whatever you've done, if you want," he said, shaking his head. Beckett sighed and surreptitiously placed his hand over his on her desk. She curled her fingers over his, clasping them tight and then squeezed.

"You're the greatest father I know, Castle. Don't you ever doubt that even for one minute, okay? No one, Alexis included, will ever say otherwise."

What looked like a cross between relief and adoration flickered over his face, allowing a smile to grace his features. Beckett herself smiled at him, happy that for once, she'd been able to get a smile from him – usually it was _him_ trying to get _her_ to smile.

"Why, don't you two look mighty cosy over there! Beckett, is that you I see, softly caressing your partner's hand?"

They whipped their heads around, catching both Esposito and Ryan smirking from their desks, pointing at their joined hands on Beckett's desk. She felt a warm flush rise to her cheek, embarrassed at being caught (again). Castle tried to pull his hand from hers, but she held on, tightening her grip on it.

She'd made a decision and there was no two ways about it. She was going to try with Castle, and she was damned well going to be proud of her effort.

Lifting their still-joined hands over the top of her monitor so her two co-workers could see it clearly in their line of sight, she grinned.

"Yeah? Are you boys jealous, or what?"

00000

A/N: I've come to the conclusion that I absolutely suck at writing anything casefic-ish. I'm probably never going to venture into this territory ever again and am going to just stay in my safe zone of angst and fluffiness. So if you felt the case in this chapter was flimsy and lame, and ended too abruptly, I apologise for it. I tried, but I honestly don't think I have the chops for that kind of writing.

If you skipped through the trainwreck that are the case-related paragraphs, please go back and read them again because you may have missed a make out session (or two) between our favourite crime fighting duo. Okay fine, just ONE make out session.

Otherwise, hope you enjoyed this! Let me know what you thought of this :)


	7. Wrestling

_Previously: Beckett and Castle try to figure out how to navigate their relationship around the people they work with and the gang solves a murder in a day. Win for all!_

**Wrestling  
><strong>_In which Castle annoys Beckett and they still end up in bed anyway_

00000

The news of their relationship spread through the precinct faster than either of them could have imagined. Bets were won, money changed hands and more than a few '_Thank God, finally'_s were uttered among the cops at the 12th. Beckett for the most part ignored the good natured jibes from her fellow detectives, but Castle, true to his boyish nature basked in sheer delight amongst all the attention.

She spotted Karpowski giving him a high five and not-so-subtly making crude gestures with her hands towards where she was sitting and he grinned. Like a proud peacock showing off its pretty feathers, Beckett found herself thinking one day. Yeah, no – better leave the metaphors to Castle, he was way better at it than she was.

Secretly though, while she would never, ever admit it to anyone, she couldn't help but feel a little flattered that he seemed to be so happy about the change in their status quo.

"They're talking about us, Beckett."

"Not us, _you_. They're probably wondering what stupid thing _you're_ going to leave on my desk tomorrow morning," Beckett uttered drily, not even bothering to lift her head up from the crime scene photos she was examining.

Since their relationship had been made public, he'd started leaving little presents – trinkets, he called them, on her desk whenever he managed to drop by during the rare breaks in his hectic schedule. The objects were seemingly random and ranged from a beautiful rose to a quirky Darth Vader bobble head. His explanation, after she chewed him out for a good half an hour in the break room, was that since she'd been bogged down by back to back cases and he was busy with his actual work, she needed the little gifts as a form of a reminder to take a break once in a while to have some fun. She'd insisted that she didn't need them, but his excuse was that without his constant presence by her side, the least he could do was to send in adequate replacements.

Her protests (take them _home_, Castle. I don't need them here!) had fallen on deaf ears and whenever she chose to leave them in her drawer or shove them in some forgotten corner of her locker, she always found them again, mocking her from her desk.

"They're not stupid," he pouted. "You like them, and don't you even deny it."

"I don't like them _on my desk_, Castle. I've said that a hundred times," she hissed beneath her breath. "Why can't you just give them to me at home, or when we're not being scrutinised by the nosiest people in the planet?"

She asked the last part of her question in a slightly louder voice, causing both Ryan and Esposito to duck their heads back down onto their own stack of paperwork. Castle sniggered and shuffled his chair closer to Beckett's. He reached out to pick up a rubix cube sitting on her desk, his latest gift to her and leaned back as he started to twist it. Her hand came shooting out to snatch it from him.

"Don't."

He stretched his fingers out to reclaim the cube, but she held it out of his reach. "Don't what?"

"Don't mess with my cube."

His eyes brightened in childish glee, realising that Beckett was secretly hiding a smile behind the folder she was flipping through. He grinned.

"So … you like the rubix cube?" He snuck his hand back down under her desk, his eyes glinting in mischief.

"I like them all, Castle. Just, _not here_," she re-emphasised, feeling his wandering fingers making themselves at home on her thighs, just out of sight of the other detectives who were milling about. His warmth was soothing in the midst of all the stress and confusion of trying to crack her latest case and she let it be, allowing him to gently run his fingers back and forth over her jeans. It was slow going and without a solid lead to go on, they were stuck going through their suspects' financials and phone records – both being painstakingly slow and boring tasks.

"Listen, Beckett," Castle said, using his free hand to gently pull the folder out of her hands and closing it.

She shot him an annoyed look and pried his hand away from under the table and brought it back topside.

"Give it back, Castle."

"Not until you take a break. I'm sure Ryan and Esposito will agree that you all need fresh eyes for this. Go home, I'll make you dinner, then sleep and come back tomorrow to solve this, okay?"

"Don't you have a book to promote, or whatever?" Beckett asked him, ignoring his suggestion. She turned her back to him, facing the murder board. The pictures of the victim were taunting her, demanding to be solved – demanding she figure it out and for the life of her, nothing seemed to be clicking. It was frustrating that after so many days dedicated to this one case, she still hadn't made any headway. Castle hadn't been able to stick around much so he'd begged out of the case, rendering him pretty much useless for the moment, not possessing the necessary facts for them to bounce ideas off each other.

"Beck –"

"Castle if you have nothing useful to contribute to the case, go home. Or go sign some chests. Anything, just leave me alone," she snapped.

She heard Castle sigh behind her, but refused to turn around. Finally, his chair scraped back and she heard his heavy footfalls make their way to the elevator. Part of her felt guilty for dismissing him like she had, but his presence was grating on her nerves and she needed the peace and quiet to sort the case out.

Pulling out a dry-erase marker, she started drawing a new timeline again. Royce had told her, all those years ago that when all else was lost, the best place to start re-examining things was right at the very beginning.

00000

"Come on, Beckett. Let's go."

Ryan's voice floated towards her, breaking through the haze of 'what-ifs' and 'maybes' that was clouding her mind. She turned around and found both Esposito and Ryan standing at her desk, coats in their hands, preparing to leave.

"You're not going to get anything done tonight, we all know it," Esposito insisted, echoing Castle's sentiments from hours before. The same pang of guilt hit her again as she thought of him and finally, she capped the marker and rolled her shoulders.

"Okay," she mumbled. She suddenly realised that she hadn't eaten anything since Castle had arrived that afternoon with doughnuts and her stomach was painfully empty. "Actually, do you want to get something to eat? I'm starving."

"Sounds great, let me just tell Jenny I won't be home till later," Ryan replied enthusiastically and it dawned upon her that all three of them had conveniently forgotten their dinner. Watching Ryan flip out his phone to contact his fiancé, she bit her lip and fished her own phone out from her pocket.

She only had to wait for two rings before he picked up.

"Hi, Beckett," he greeted her with a careful tone, obviously unsure if she was still annoyed with him despite the many hours that had gone by.

"Um. The boys and I are going to get something to eat. We're just about to leave. Wanna come join us?" she asked. It was her subtle way of apologising and she knew that he would understand.

"Yeah, sure. Go to the Old Haunt, I'll call Alan and get him to ready some pizza and fries so you can just start eating when you get there. I can be there in half an hour," his said. She heard familiar female voices in the background and assumed he was home with Martha and Alexis.

"Thanks, Castle – and if you want to stay home, its fine, you know?"

"_No_, you're not allowed to take back the invitation. You invited me, and I said yes – so I'll see you soon," he said in a rush. Beckett smiled to herself as he bid her goodbye and she hung up. She took one look at the twin smirks on Ryan and Esposito's face and scowled.

"Castle coming tonight?" Ryan asked as they walked into the elevator.

"Yes, do you mind if we go to his bar? He's calling ahead for food," she answered. She could see them making excited faces at each other from the corner of her eye and not for the first time, she wondered if Castle's presence in their lives had had more of an effect on them that she'd realised.

"Did he get pizza?"

"Yes, and fries."

"Man, I love that guy. Always knows the right way to end a shitty day. Food, beer – free of charge." Ryan sighed, but then he paused and a wicked glint appeared in his eye. "Hey, Beckett, don't _you_ love him too? Don't you think he's amazing, and kind, and sweet and - "

"- hot and loyal and such an amazing kisser. Don't think I don't know what you two were doing in the break room during that Torres case," Esposito shot her a sly smile.

Yup, she should have expected that.

Esposito high-fived Ryan behind her and as the elevator chimed, signalling their arrival at the ground floor, she turned to them, raised her hand and flipped them off.

00000

She leaned back against the bar, her eyes drifting towards the table where her boys were seated, and she couldn't help the warm and fuzzy feeling that crept up into her chest. He really _was_ ruggedly handsome. Even more so now that he had shrugged off his coat and was clad in a very casual graphic tee emblazoned with the face of one of his favourite comic book characters. She felt a rare surge of fondness flow through her, and while she could have easily blamed it on the alcohol, she knew it was the fact that the three of the most important men in her life were getting along so well, and that in them, she had the most loving pseudo-family a girl could ever ask for.

Her father had heard of Castle and had personally met Ryan and Esposito and suddenly, she longed for a time when all four of them could hang out together with her and Lanie to complete the picture. She watched as Castle leaned back, tipping his head in a hearty laugh at something Esposito had said and another wave of … (no, she wasn't going to say love) came over her.

She picked up the two beers that she'd gotten for the other detectives – she'd lost a bet on how much they could eat in 30 seconds – and made her way back. Castle had his back turned to her, but she motioned for Ryan and Esposito to remain quiet as she crept up behind him.

Once she was close enough, she let one of her hands drape around his shoulders and the other reached out to place the bottles on the table. Once set, the hand came back around him, both arms now circling Castle from behind and she leaned into him, close enough to detect the faint stubble along his jaw and catching the subtle hint of cologne that wafted up towards her. Her fingers trailed along his chest and as she leaned forward, felt the increase of the rate of his heartbeat.

Castle tried to turn to her, surprised at her sudden display of affection – she was literally hanging off his back, her hair dangling down to touch his shoulders as she moved to place her lips closer to his ear.

"Hey, let's get out of here," she whispered. His eyes met hers as his head twisted to her and she bit her lip in amusement. There was no mistaking the look on her face and it dawned up on Castle that she was inviting him home. The excitement in his expression was unmistakable and she grinned.

She let him go, straightening up and shooting her dumbfounded detectives a knowing smile. "I'll see you boys tomorrow."

00000

For the first time in a long time, laughter rang out in Kate Beckett's bedroom. She was no stranger to having fun in bed, both of the non-adult and adult kind, but she'd never once laughed – really laughed, complete with shaking hands and teary eyes – in bed, tugging, pulling, pushing against someone else and dissolving once more into a fit of giggles.

It had started with a simple statement as they approached her door, their bodies colliding unceremoniously against each other as she fumbled with her keys. He'd made a quip about how the alcohol had addled her brain and left her uncoordinated and she'd retorted with saying that she now knew how it felt to be Rick Castle.

She led him to her kitchen and filled up two glasses of water, giving one to him as he neared her with an indignant look on his face.

"I'm not uncoordinated, Beckett. I'll have you know I'd be able to pin you down for at least 10 seconds," he said as his hand made a pass across her ass, giving it a quick squeeze before he settled back to lean against his counter.

A good natured argument flared up between them and logistics were discussed – he was bigger and heavier (it just makes you slow, Castle); she was lighter, faster and professionally trained to tackle men his size. Eventually, Beckett decided after a good five minutes of arguing that she could definitely tackle him easily enough and Castle bravely dared her to prove it to him.

She shoved him hard then, dislodging him from his perch against her kitchen island and into a heap in the floor. Before she had time to pin him down however, he found a piece of what seemed to be day old capsicum on the floor and flung it at her face. He took the opportunity of her being momentarily distracted to pull himself up and dash into her living room.

A chase ensued. He dodged her, she pinched him, he tickled, she bit – all culminating in a frenzied make out session against the door to her bedroom. Their need, the pent up passion between them was unleashed then – they were _finally_ alone, no family members or co-workers wandering around threatening to catch them in the act, and before she knew it, her legs were tight around his hips, his hands were on her ass supporting her against the solid frame and she was losing all sense of herself in him. Again.

They weren't aware though, that her door hadn't been securely shut and after the fifth not-so-gentle thrust of their bodies into the door, it flung open, sending them both keeling over backwards into her room.

Suddenly realising the position he was in, he rested his forearms around her and held her in place with his weight, his feet spread apart to accommodate her slight figure between them. He leaned down to start a countdown in her ear, reminding her of their earlier argument and as he reached 'five', she made her move.

Her hands came down onto his neck, tickling the spot she that knew for a fact was very sensitive and pulled up her feet to topple him from his perch over her. He gasped in surprise and she scrambled to stand, taking in his shocked expression.

That was when they both started laughing.

He looked up at her from the floor, open mouthed and slack jawed as she winked at him. "Close, but not quite, Writer-Monkey," she teased.

It spurred him into action, and he launched himself up at her, throwing his body weight onto her and sending her flying onto her bed.

More laughter.

Beckett had the air knocked out of her as she landed sprawled on her bed, her head sinking into the soft pillows strewn across all over it, trying to force herself to reign in her uncontrollable laughter.

He crawled up her length, shedding mirthful tears as his body trembled with the effort of keeping his own laughter in control. Her hands came up to his chest, her fingers splayed over the vast expanse and she pulled him down onto her.

For a quick moment, silence pervaded the room as the silly argument was forgotten. Their lips locked, breaths mingled and his fingers tangled in her golden tresses. Her legs parted on their own accord, allowing Castle to fit himself between them, bringing their bodies closer in contact with one another. He groaned when he realised this, sending Beckett into another gale of laughter.

Feeling feisty, she tightened her knees around his hips and in one swift movement, twisted so that Castle fell in a heap next to her and she clambered to straddle him. His hardness teased her, nestled cosily between them and sending waves of arousal shooting through her.

"Give up?" She breathed out, clenching her thighs together as Castle let out another needy moan. His hands came up to stroke her along the seam of her jeans, pulled taut over her thighs. She reached out to his wandering fingers and held them in place in a vice grip. He flexed his arms experimentally, but she kept a firm hold of his wrists.

"Never. _Never_, Detective."

"Suit yourself, I'd like to see you get out of – oof!"

In an unexpected display of upper body strength, he raised himself up – for a second, she was eye-to-eye with him – managed to wrench his wrists out of her grip in her moment of awe, and before she knew it their positions were once again reversed and she found herself staring into his cocky expression against the backdrop of her room ceiling.

God.

Wrestling had never been this much fun.

He descended upon her, his lips meeting the spot just under her jaw, nibbling and suckling at it as she emitted breathy moans, no longer caring about the outcome of their game. Whatever the result was she was sure they'd both end up winning anyway.

Her hands snuck under the T-shirt, already crumpled from their earlier escapades and she slid them upwards towards his nipples. Playfully, she flicked at them and raised the material higher, completely removing it from his body and sending it flying across the room.

He stopped his ministrations, raising his head to look at her with a knowing smirk on his face. "I told you I'd win," he said.

And so he had, she realised. In the end, she found that she couldn't bring herself to really care and she pushed herself up on her elbows to reclaim his lips in a searing kiss.

She arched her lower body, hooking one of her legs around the outside his thighs and pressing his obvious need against the juncture of her thighs . "From where I am, I think eventually we both win, Mr. Castle."

He let out an amused chuckle, thrusting gently against her. "Yeah, yeah I think so too."

She hissed at the contact, suddenly noticing the layers that still remained between them. Sure, he was shirtless, but his pants were securely fastened to his hips by his belt – she herself was still clothed and in that very moment she wanted _everything_ to come off.

It seemed that Castle had pretty much the same thing in mind, because his fingers started pulling at her shirt, dragging it upwards over her breasts in an impatient tug. A rush of cold air swept over her as her skin was exposed to the night. She couldn't help the flush in her cheeks when she noticed Castle staring at her in wonder, his eyes fixed on her cotton covered breasts.

"You've seen me in a swimming suit before, Castle," she breathed, clenching her thighs around him impatiently. "And naked in my tub."

"Different," he rasped out. "And I _didn't_ look back then. You're stunning."

He leaned over her and flicked the front clasp of her bra open. His hands moved to skim over the underside of her mounds, tugging the soft material away from her and letting it fall over the side of her bed.

"Lets get naked, Beckett," he said as he winked at her.

All she could do was groan and shift so that her hands came down to unfasten his belt. Yeah, it was a simple enough request. Who was she to deny him the pleasure?

00000

_Stopping there because I rated this fic a nice, comfortable T. How's this for pointless (hot too, I hope) fluff? Do you like pointless fluff? Want more pointless fluff? Anyone notice how I borrowed a scene from another one of my favourite shows – Dark Angel? _

_:D I can sense this story coming to an end within the next chapter or two, so I'll give you all some fair warning. _

_All your wonderful reviews and alerts very much appreciated. Feel free to keep them coming :P Thanks for reading!_


	8. Girlfriend

Previously:_ Um. Castle and Beckett have sex. Because we all know that's the most important thing anyway. _

**Girlfriend**  
><em>In which Martha acts as a catalyst in taking her son's relationship with his muse to the public.<em>

00000

As usual, the loft was relatively silent, the quiet fleetingly disturbed by the soft footsteps that padded through the empty rooms. The sun was only just rising, the horizon still a thin pink line far in the distance. As Beckett crossed the wide windows of his living room she glanced out at the uncharacteristically quiet streets of New York. Only the food vendors were out and about setting up for the day, and a few early-bird commuters loitered along the sidewalk.

They'd been doing this for a good three weeks from when she first slept with him – her staying over and vice versa, when the opportunity arose – and she still wasn't tired of the view. Pulling herself reluctantly away from the window, she looked around the living room and finally spotted her jacket, flung carelessly over the back of the couch. Narrowed eyes were fixed upon the garment as she struggled to remember at what point during the previous night she'd removed it, but gave up, her mind drawing blanks.

She couldn't blame herself though. She'd been pretty trippy the night before. They'd had a good dinner and come home to share three bottles of wine between them, celebrating the close of yet another case. When Alexis had come downstairs with an annoyed look on her face, politely asking them keep their laughter down to a more reasonable volume, they'd moved their celebration back to his room. She flushed at the memory, and suddenly a part of her wanted to get right back into bed with him.

A clock chimed somewhere in the loft and she shook the desire away. Pulling the jacket on, she grabbed her keys from the coffee table and made her way to the front door.

"You know one of these days you're going to have to stay for breakfast, Kate."

Startled, Beckett paused in her attempt to leave and clenched her eyes shut in embarrassment.

Alexis. _Damn_. She'd imagined this scenario countless times, but she had always hoped that it would be Martha who caught her, not her boyfriend's impressionable teenage daughter.

She had been fairly successful in doing the delicate dance of leaving before either of the other occupants awoke for the entirety of the threeweeks, carefully timing her morning departure in order to avoid situations such as the one she had found herself in.

It wasn't as if they were trying to hide their relationship, far from it – she regularly dropped by for dinner and more than once had been caught inappropriately making out with Castle in his office. However, the subject of her sleeping over (as often as she now did, anyway) never once came up and she knew that catching your father's girlfriend making out with him was by far easier to handle than catching said girlfriend making the walk of shame early in the morning in the clothes she'd been wearing the night before.

Until today, she'd been doing very well trying to protect her dignity.

"I got up earlier today to do some studying and noticed your stuff was still here. I made some pancakes and the coffee machine is warming up, if you're in the mood for some breakfast today."

Beckett let out a long breath and dropped the shoes that had been in her hand as she resigned herself to the inevitable and made her way to the kitchen. Alexis was smirking at her, casually eating her own pancake and motioned for the older woman to sit across from her.

"Good morning, Alexis," Beckett finally said as she climbed onto the bar stool. "I was kinda hoping I'd be able to make it out there before you caught me in all my shameful glory."

"You know, I do realise that you and Dad do _more_ than just kiss and cuddle," Alexis stated nonchalantly. "Had to go through sex ed classes at school. There's no need for you to keep leaving at the crack of dawn every time you're here just to preserve that image."

Beckett stared, mouth agape at the younger girl. Sometimes she forgot that the girl was way more mature than she looked. Forgot that sometimes the girl was more mature than her father (although really, that wasn't saying very much), and that _she_ was the one who regularly kept her father in line.

Still, discussing her sex life with Castle's daughter – way too creepy for her to handle early in the morning, without a drop of caffeine in her system yet. She picked up a pancake for herself and plated it, drizzling a generous amount of syrup over it.

"Um, I'm sorry, Alexis."

"Don't be. I just want you to know that you should at least feel free to come and share breakfast with me before you leave for work. It's the least I can do, since Dad seems so determined to wake up so late. It's downright rude."

Alexis' eyes sparkled cheerfully as she spoke. Beckett found that her cheerfulness was contagious and she chuckled.

"He _has_ mentioned that he wanted to make breakfast for me, actually. I told him he didn't actually have to. He's really not a morning person, is he?"

"Sometimes he wakes up in the middle of the night to write and stays awake until I wake up to make me breakfast. But yes, otherwise, you'd be lucky if he cracks an eye open at eight," she said as she got up to prepare their coffees. Beckett rose to help but Alexis had already finished with them and was placing the mug in front of her.

Suddenly it struck her how hard it must have been for Castle to respond to her early '_we've got a body'_ calls. Sure, he'd always grumbled about it being early, but to drag himself out of bed to solve cases with her when he so obviously _wasn't_ a morning person – it sent little warm fuzzies to her heart.

The aroma of the coffee was heavenly and she sipped the thick liquid appreciatively. She'd never gotten the chance to use Castle's personal coffee machine before, except for that time he had brought her coffee from home. The rich flavour that was travelling through her system was doing a good job of convincing her to actually get one of those for her own home.

Alexis had fallen silent, her eyes glued to a textbook spread open on the counter, twirling a fork absently in one hand. Beckett took the chance to study the girl, taking in all of her, her beauty, intelligence, innocence. She never wanted Alexis to ever change.

When she and Castle had decided to pursue a romantic relationship, Alexis had been the first to congratulate them (followed closely by a very smug Martha) and Beckett had never felt more welcomed as a member of their tight knit family. If Alexis hadn't approved, she knew she would have been the first to call it off. The kind of relationship the girl had with her father was so rare – she was sometimes jealous that her own relationship with her dad wasn't as beautiful – that she never wanted to come in between them.

Alexis' needs over hers. No questions asked.

God, between the two of them, she was sure the Castles had her wrapped around their fingers. Not that Castle needed to _ever_ know that.

"I also think you should keep a change of clothes here."

Beckett nearly dropped her coffee mug. "Wh-What?"

Alexis looked up from her textbook. "I mean, it's not very convenient for you is it? Going back to your apartment when the precinct is so much closer from here than from yours? And the traffic that you have to deal with after you're done changing and all that."

Beckett stared open-mouthed at the girl. Was she – was she seriously –

"Oh, I'm not, Kate. Asking you to move in, I mean. Stop panicking. It's not my place, after all. I'm just saying. You're here maybe three, four times a week, and the least we can offer you is the chance to sleep in without worrying about what you have to wear to work. And since 'Heat Rises' was released, you must have noticed how many more people are camped outside waiting for you to … make your 'walk of shame' as you put it."

It was true. The book had been released two days before, and since then there'd been a constant paparazzi presence outside the loft, probably waiting to catch her unguarded and unaware so that they could get a comment on the changed nature of the relationship between the writer and his muse. She hadn't slept over since the release though, and Alexis had actually raised a fair point. They were going to watch them like hawks for the most insignificant indiscretions.

How the hell was she going to avoid them this morning?

"That's actually a good idea," Beckett finally said. "A really good one, considering the circumstances."

She looked down at her clothes, rumpled and dishevelled, courtesy their hasty removal the night before. A tint of red rose to her cheeks as she recalled their less than quiet night in bed and she forced the memories back – she was having breakfast with his _daughter_, for crying out loud.

"I can give you one of my hats, a shirt or a scarf if you want, for today. Then the next time you come by, bring your work things. I'm sure dad will be more than happy to accommodate that," Alexis said, pointedly ignoring the look of embarrassment the detective was trying to hide.

In the end, Alexis managed to dig up a red scarf, long enough to drape across her shoulders , simultaneously covering the top half of her body. She donned her sunglasses as she prepared to leave, full from pancakes, coffee and her heart so warmed by Alexis' company.

Alexis gave her a quick once over and nodded. "Yeah, they won't even know you spent the night here. If you take the back entrance out, I'm sure you'll be able to shake them."

Beckett reached out to hug the girl appreciatively and placed a soft kiss into her hair. "Thank you, Alexis. Tell Castle I said hi, and remind him that he has a book signing tonight at Barnes and Noble, and that Paula will kill him if he's late again."

Alexis laughed. "I'll tell him. Stay safe, Kate."

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When she had arrived at the precinct that morning, slightly late and in less of a good spirit than when she'd left Castle's loft, she knew it was going to be another one of those days.

Karpowski was already clocked in and apparently had dragged a particularly difficult suspect in with her. The suspect struggled all the way to Interrogation and on the way had managed to crash violently into her desk, sending all her belongings strewn onto the precinct floor.

And that was how she found herself, half an hour later, crouched painfully under her desk trying to retrieve everything that had fallen over. Ryan and Esposito had been no help, casually striding past and sniggering at her – although they got their payback when the same suspect had been dragged back out and managed to knee Ryan hard in the gut and sent Esposito's hot coffee flying into his shirt.

At lunch time, Castle had texted her with a sad face, accompanied by '_I'm sorry I wasn't awake to say good bye' _and while it had managed to improve her mood a little, it didn't last very long. A request from the DA's office had come in at the last minute, requiring her to testify at a hearing the next day.

Consequently, the rest of her working day had been spent looking through her notes from the four year old case and refreshing her memory on the minute details of the murder that could possibly make or break the DA's case. If there was anything Beckett hated more than testifying in court for cases more than a year old, it was testifying at the _last minute_ for cases more than a year old.

So when five o' clock came around, after hours of re-reading all the necessary reports and trying to prepare herself for what seemed like a full day of court, she was ready to just go home and submerge herself in her tub, relax with Heat Rises and maybe even give her dad a call to bitch about the day she'd had. And then she'd probably call Castle.

Castle.

She'd missed him at the precinct. She knew it was somewhat selfish of her to think it, but she couldn't help but feel glad that he only had a few more book-signings to do before he could come back to the precinct to brighten up her otherwise stress-filled days. Like today – God, what she would have given to have his speed-reading skills around to help her go through the massive amount of case and evidence reports. He could have been able to help calm her nerves down, helped her prepare her testimony for court the next day, kept her supply of coffee steady as she waded through the case files.

Stepping out of the precinct with a heavy heart, suddenly she felt as though that warm tub wasn't going to be good enough of a stress-reliever for her. Sex would have been a _very_ good alternative, she knew from first-hand experience, but – she glanced down at her wristwatch and pursed her lips – Castle would be busy with his book-signing and it would be highly unprofessional of her to pull him away from his real job just to relieve some of her tension.

An idea snuck up upon her then. It wasn't as if Castle wasn't _physically_ around. He was just busy. Barnes and Noble wasn't too far away and the walk wouldn't take too long. There would most likely already be people in line, but she hadn't been to a signing in a very long time and she knew that her being there would be a very welcome surprise for him. He had been begging her incessantly to sit next to him and sign as well and she had resolutely refused on all occasions. She figured being there this time, albeit not quite in the capacity he'd wanted her to be in, would still be a nice gesture.

It also meant that she would get to see him. Why the hell not?

00000

Beckett had been right. A long line had formed outside the bookstore, curling onto the corner of the block and she almost felt like just going home. The amount of fans the man had was astounding, and not surprisingly, most of them looked as if they were dressed for a night out in town than a casual 'meet the author' session.

She glared at them as she walked past.

Her copy of 'Heat Rises' had been brought to the precinct with her that morning in hopes of getting enough free time to read (oh, how little she knew then), and she rummaged in her bag for it to make sure she hadn't left it at her desk. Her fingertips brushed along the sleek hard cover and she smiled satisfactorily as she got in line.

"Miss, this is for the fan club members only. General public signings are tomorrow," a voice said from behind her. Beckett turned around and found herself face to face with a woman who looked like she'd stepped out from a page of 'Playboy'.

"You don't have a fan club pass," the woman said again, tugging at the plastic laminated card hanging off the lanyard around her neck. "So you can get yours signed tomorrow."

Oh, she had one alright, hidden in a box along with the first book he'd signed for her, buried deep behind her clothes in her closet. Temporarily put out, she stepped back out of the line and motioned to the woman to take her place. She knew that there was no fighting his legions of rabid fans and she wasn't in the mood to get into an argument that evening.

"Good luck tomorrow, hun. Make sure you get in early!"

Beckett had half a mind to tell the woman just how 'in' she'd already gotten with Castle, but she held back her biting retort and merely shrugged at her. _Too tired_. She was way too tired for this. All she wanted to do was to see him in his element, maybe even get a smile out of it but if it meant being around women like this all night, she was willing to give it a miss.

"Kate!"

She'd barely moved from where she stood before another voice forced her to turn. "Martha, hi!"

"Darling, what a pleasant surprise! What are you doing out here?"

Martha approached her, ignoring the hushed whispers of the people in the line behind them, a few of them realising that Martha Rodgers, mother of the author they all were there for, was out and about – mingling among them. Beckett got pulled into a hug and she welcomed it.

"I just wanted to see him. Long day at work," she muttered, out of earshot of the fans who had started taking photos. "Apparently I need a fan club pass though."

Martha looked at her incredulously. "Oh sweetheart, you're so very, very naïve. And I mean that in the best possible way."

The older woman took her hand, and before she knew it she was being dragged to the front of the line at the entrance of the store. She risked a glance back and a weird sense of satisfaction surged through her as she noticed the envious looks the other women in line were shooting at her.

Yeah, real mature, Katie.

The man at the doors, suited up with a clipboard in his hand and a walkie attached to his hip, eyed them suspiciously as they approached.

Martha took it all in her stride and merely pushed her way past the few in front. She pointed at the two of them and cleared her throat haughtily. "Mother of the author, girlfriend of the author. Let us through please."

There were loud audible gasps from behind her, and while she was stunned and horrified at the casual way she'd been introduced, Beckett couldn't help but risk a look at the rest of the fans, only to find shocked looks on the faces of those in line behind them. All of a sudden, she was blinded by the flashes that were going off in front of her eyes. She felt the gentle tugging on her wrist, and she let herself get pulled through the doors.

"Martha!" She managed to strangle out, still a little stunned. "_Girlfriend_?"

The doors had closed behind them and Martha looked at Beckett apologetically. The redhead led Beckett further into the store, making her way past the bookshelves and into the back area where a space had been cleared out for the signing.

"I know, Kate, dear. I'm so sorry. It just … slipped. You know how it is, the mind is a fickle thing and when you get to such an advanced age … and you _are_ my son's girlfriend, after all." Martha waved a hand in the air, and then dropped it, peering at Beckett with wide eyes.

Beckett sighed. She couldn't get mad at the woman, not really. She would have preferred to keep it strictly between friends and family, but deep down, she knew this day would have arrived eventually. She managed a small smile at the older Castle and shook her head, indicating that all was forgiven.

"It's fine. I just – ugh. It's been a really long day," she mumbled. "It's about time the public found out any – "

"Kate?"

Castle's voice carried over to them and she spotted him as he rounded a corner. Oh, he looked _good_. Black suit, purple dress shirt with a darker purple tie. His hair was sleeked back, just enough gel to make it look like he wasn't even trying and – God.

She kissed him the moment he got in range.

Their mouths met tentatively, he was still somewhat surprised by her presence and she was shaking off the burdens of the day. The lips brushed over each other's, nipping and sucking delicately. Her hands slipped into his hair and he found purchase in her hips as he parted her lips with her tongue and eased his way deeper.

It was slow, and sensual, and everything she'd been looking for when she first decided to come crash his signing. His teeth pulled gently on her lower lip and she sighed, bringing her body closer to his.

Someone cleared their throat behind them, and they were forced to pull apart.

"Oh, hello, mother."

"Hello, Richard. We thought we'd come visit. Did you save us seats?"

Beckett looked at her in confusion.

"Seats?"

"Mother sometimes sits behind us and watches. Partly hidden, of course. It's a nice way to spend the time, really. Alexis used to come to these and she always found it entertaining. You can sit there and watch, or go home if you get bored," he explained, still refusing to let go of her waist.

She finally took a quick look around at the space they were in, and noticed that past the cardboard cut-out of her boyfriend and the massive sign advertising the book-signing, there indeed was a secluded corner, obscured by hanging drapes. Gina was already there, phone to her ear, Paula hovering nearby shooting Castle daggers with her eyes.

"You want me to sit back there with them?" she asked sceptically. She didn't want to say it out loud, but right now, all four women in that room had seen Richard Castle naked, and while she was comfortable enough around Martha, she found the idea of spending a good two hours or so with the other two women very disturbing. Castle let go of her and turned to them, giving them a short wave.

"Oh, don't worry. They don't stay in there for long. The spotlight lures them out eventually. Like moths to a flame. I haven't said this yet, but you being here is a very, very welcome surprise. Stay for a while, and then we can do something afterwards if you don't get bored?"

Beckett smiled softly. The event would only take a few hours, probably finishing just in time for them to grab a late dinner. She could wait – it was a bookstore after all, she was sure she'd find a way to keep herself entertained. Nodding her head and reaching out to lace her fingers with his, she pulled him away from the steady gaze of their not-so-subtle audience.

He seemed to find her actions amusing, letting out a pleasant laugh as she pressed him against the 'Self-Help' bookshelf and buried her head between his jaw and his shoulders. Her arms circled his waist and her lips started placing kisses along the column of his neck.

"Rough day?" He murmured, enjoying the sensation of having her so deliciously settled against him.

"Mmm. Just wanted to see you," she said, her words muffled against his skin. "Watch you work."

She pulled back after a while, realising with reluctance that she had to let him get back to his professional duties. His eyes were peering at her, blue orbs dancing with delight – obviously happy with her presence there.

"Let's go back in there, 'kay? I promise it won't be too bad. Alexis and mother both used to play a guessing game – how many of them would ask me to marry them, how old they are … might be fun."

"I think I'll just sit back and read your book, actually. Don't worry about me."

They were already back at the event space, and true enough both Gina and Paula were already front and centre, prepping the security guards and making sure the towers of books were properly in place.

Just as she was about to make her way into the back area where she'd spotted Martha, he pulled her back to him and planted a very wet kiss on her lips. His tongue was insistent against her lips and she sucked on it, enjoying the whimper of need that escaped him.

"Hey! You two, enough of that!"

They sprang apart guiltily as Paula approached them with a look of disdain on her face. Castle moved to step in front of Beckett and put on a wide grin – the one that had managed to charm so many women in his life. "Sorry, Paula, dear – she's just too irresistible."

"I'm not worried about her, Ricky – if what I'm hearing coming through from my sources is right, soon enough you'll be the one who has to be worried about being irresistible. Do you have any idea how much damage control I have to do now?"

Castle widened his eyes in confusion. "Huh?"

"God, Rick, we don't have time for this now. Next time you want to make your relationship with Detective Beckett public, don't do it just before these events, please? We're going to get a whole lot of crazies today – _girlfriend_. Hah!"

She paused in her tirade to answer her phone and Castle turned to Beckett, who was biting her lip sheepishly.

"Uh, know anything about that, Kate? Apparently I've outed our relationship to the public sometime between watching The Empire Strikes Back this afternoon and now."

Beckett shook her head, smiling at him. "Martha … Martha had to get me in here today and may have announced to the first twenty or so people in line that I'm … your girlfriend."

The look on his face was nothing short of awe and amazement. He inched closer to her, casting a quick look towards Paula, who seemed to have ignored them for the moment and his hand came up to gently stroke her cheek.

"You're okay with that?"

"Being your girlfriend?"

"I _know_ you're okay with that – I mean with … _everyone_ knowing you're my girlfriend."

She allowed herself a moment to contemplate it. Sure, she would always have her reservations about being in the public eye as much as he was, but she had spent three years with the man and truth be told, she wasn't new to the occasional Page Six blurbs about her relationship with him. For almost as long as she could remember, gossip columnists had been speculating about the nature of their partnership and she'd been able to ignore them. She rationalised that really, it couldn't be that much different now that they were actually together.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay with that."

His grin was disarming and she squeezed his palm, pulling it away from her face. She walked backwards towards where Martha was sitting, winking at him.

"Just, you know, don't accept any of their marriage proposals today, and I'll be fine."

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_So, there's the penultimate chapter. Only one more to go, people! If you've stuck around for the ride since the very beginning, know that I'm eternally grateful. I write for pure enjoyment and if I can bring the same feelings to other Castle fans around the world, all the better. _

_I know I've written Beckett slightly differently from how they've done it in the show but I mean – growth, people. Afterall, we all know she's not averse to a little PDA (even in the show)so while she probably won't ever be this at ease with being in a relationship with Castle in the show, in my little AU world she kinda is :) I can only hope that even with that difference, I've managed to keep her relatively in character and that you all still love her :)_

_Feedback much appreciated. Your favourites and alerts are also just as appreciated. Thanks for reading!_


	9. Comfort

_Previously: Martha outs Beckett's and Castle's relationship to the public when Beckett visits Castle during one of his book signings._

**Comfort  
><strong>_In which this tale of love and romance is concluded amidst some news that Castle isn't too happy with._

00000

_Alexis chose Stanford._

Beckett could barely make out the three words that came out from Castle's mouth before he barrelled into her apartment, collapsing in a heap on her couch, leaving Beckett by her door puzzled. She closed the door and made a beeline to him, crouching in front of him as he turned to smash his face against her cushions.

"Castle…"

"She chose Stanford, Kate."

His voice was muffled against the cushion, but she could detect the sadness in them, heartbreak and pain lacing his words. She sat cross-legged on the ground, facing the couch and reached out to run he fingers through his hair.

"You knew that was a possibility," she said gently. "She told you she might."

He nodded imperceptibly, but still refused to face her. "She's going to leave me."

Beckett shut her eyes, surprised by how much his sadness was actually affecting her. She could feel pinpricks of tears pooling in her eyes and she blinked them away. She knew he would take it hard, but this? This was way worse that she'd expected. She dropped her hands from his hair and instead ran it down his arms, back and forth, back and forth in what she hoped was a comforting gesture.

"I just … I'm not the man in her life anymore. She's going away, she's going to grow up and get married and I'll be Granpa Rick who gets visits once every month … Kate, I don't think I can handle that," he whispered, finally sitting up and fixing her with a devastatingly miserable stare.

"Don't let your imagination run away from you. She hasn't left yet," she soothed him. "She loves you, Castle. She's always going to love you – you're her father, and possibly the best father in the world, there is no way she's just going to stop loving you, okay?"

"It's just so hard to see her making plans to leave me," he mumbled. Beckett got up from her position on the ground and sat next to him on his couch, taking his hand in hers and clasping them both together.

"She's not leaving you forever. She never will. And you know what, you've got me to help you with this. I know it's nothing compared to having Alexis around all the time, but … I don't know. You ... have me, and I'll do anything I can to make it better."

The sadness didn't go away, but a small smile graced his features, and she leaned in to kiss him. She didn't know how to comfort him – she'd never gone through what he was going through after all, but she knew this. Kissing him. Touching him, making him feel good, making love to him – all that, she had down pat.

"Kate…"

"Shhh, let me do this, Castle. I don't know how I can make your pain go away, but I can try. I can ease your pain, I can share your pain. I can't make Alexis stay, but I can make her going away more bearable. I'll help. I'm not asking to take her place in your life, but I … I can give you me. All of me, as much as you'll have," she whispered, straddling him and briefly kissing his closed eyelids as her hands pulled his shirt up and over his head.

00000

"Get off me."

Beckett's grumble fell on deaf ears, even as her subconscious struggled into wakefulness. She could feel the early morning sun, hot against the skin on her face and the uncomfortable heat was spreading down her entire body. Her hand slid down to push away whatever it was that was pressing heavily into her midsection, but the weight on her stomach wouldn't budge and she shifted again. The warmth was starting to be a bit too much and whatever was emitting it had to go. She moved her body, but –

Oh. Right. _Castle_.

Castle was draped over her, his head tucked neatly between her neck and her shoulder, his arm carelessly flung around her torso. Beckett lightly ran her fingers through his mussed hair, tugging the strands fondly. After a few minutes though, the stifling heat got the better of her and she jerked the covers up and over their bodies, letting it settle neatly at the foot of her bed.

The rush of cool air over her naked body was very welcome and she sighed in pleasure. Their exposed legs were inexplicably tangled with each other and she smiled at the feeling of being so cocooned in Castle. Beckett turned onto her side and slipped her other hand to curl around his neck, effectively cuddling his head. He was close enough that she could feel his lips caress her skin, his breath against her collar bone – easy, in and out, in and out.

Oh, wrong choice of words – she could feel a flush rising in her cheeks.

"I'm sleeping, Kate," he mumbled against her neck, finally noticing her constant fidgeting. He groaned sleepily, pulled back and dislodged himself from her hold. He stretched slowly, inching upwards so he was eye to eye with her and in one swift move, pulled her lazily over him.

"Lemme sleep, woman."

"If you'd get your hands off me for a second so I can _move_, you can go back to sleep in peace," she said trying to pry his hands off her. He was having none of it though, tightening his arm around her.

"S'too early to be awake," he whispered into her hair.

"Seven in the morning, Rick. I have to be at work soon," she said, "And you have to bring me my coffee in a few hours anyway. Precinct machine isn't quite enough anymore."

"But I don't wanna wake up."

"Tough luck, mister. You've got a lady who gets really, really grumpy when she doesn't get her double dose of caffeine in the morning."

"I think," he yawned widely. "I think she'd understand. I've just had a really, really hot, amazing, but exhausting night."

Beckett rolled her eyes at his candour, but nonetheless acknowledged that hearing him say the words was strangely satisfying. She'd been mildly afraid that their initial passion would die down after their first few weeks, but here they were, almost three months in – and they were still finding it easy to be completely wiped out after a night together, even with the intensity of his emotions the night before.

"If you'd woken up earlier, we could have made this a really hot, amazing _morning_ too," she muttered, finally pushing herself away from him as the alarm on her phone went off. "Time to get up, Ricky."

Castle finally popped open a bleary eye and quirked an eyebrow at her. "We could have? Kate, you could have told me sooner, you tease."

"And ruin the surprise? Nah. I've got to keep you on your toes somehow, Castle."

She pulled herself upright, blinking away the last remnants of sleep from her eyes. She swung her feet over the edge of her bed, but his hand stopped her from moving further.

"Kate?"

Beckett turned back to look down at him, his head comfortably nestled on her pillow. "Yeah?"

"Thank you. For last night."

He smiled at her, knowing that she understood what he was thanking her for. Listening, comforting, saying the right things at the right time. Beckett did understand, and she half turned back to him.

"Anytime, lover boy."

His eyes were fixated on her bare form and a jolt of arousal shot through her. Oh, how she really wished she had woken him up earlier. But it _was_ only seven … She pulled her feet back up and turned to face him once more.

"You're not so bad yourself, Rick," She climbed over him and settled on his thighs. She leaned forwards, her hair tickling his chin and kissed him slowly, letting their lips press together sweetly. Her hands slid up his chest, coming to rest on his shoulders and she sighed. His tongue prodded her lips gently, and she parted them, meeting him halfway as he ventured deeper. His teeth grazed her lower lip and she arched wantonly against him, pressing herself into him.

"_Rick_…"

Her moan was almost imperceptible, but he felt it vibrating through her body and he pulled back as something clicked in his brain.

"You called me Rick! Twice!"

Beckett rolled her eyes. "It's your name."

"But you hardly ever use it, Katherine, dear."

There was a twinkle in his eye as he spoke and she knew she'd been caught out. He never made a big deal, but she knew he preferred it when she used his 'Rick'. It didn't mean anything to her, of course. Calling him 'Castle' was a force of habit – he had been 'Castle' to her far longer than he had been 'Rick'. She didn't know if she would ever tell him, but she secretly thought that calling him 'Castle' made her special. No one else (that he'd slept with, anyway) had ever called him that, and sometimes in a bout of petty silliness, she found it oddly comforting that she had something that was uniquely theirs – calling each other by their last names.

Still, she was trying to make a conscious effort and she figured that she had nothing to lose by giving him that much. After the emotionally draining night they'd just had, she figured she'd it was the least she could do for him. And to top it all off, it was _sexy_.

"Will you shut up if I said that you were right and that it just sounds really good?"

He leered unabashedly at her, fingers creeping up her thighs to her waist, coming to rest at the bottom of her ribcage.

"Three months. It's taken you three months to decide to call me by my first name?"

"First name? I don't call you by your first name. 'Richard' is your first name, and I don't see myself calling you that anytime soon. Can you imagine? Oh god, _Richard_, faster, _Richard_!" She rolled her 'R's for additional effect and cringed.

She caught the horrified look on his face and laughed.

"Mmm, yeah. I don't like Richard. Go back to Rick."

"Rick," she indulged him. She brought her palms down to his chest and stroked his pectorals. "Oh, _Rick_."

"When you say my name like that, it makes Little Rick very excited, just putting it out there," Castle said, trying hard to hide a yawn. Beckett laughed again and flexed her thigh muscles teasingly. He groaned in response and tightened his hold on her hips, forcing her to be still.

"'Little' is very misleading," she murmured, momentarily getting lost in the haze of memories of the night before. Her cell phone blared again, a reminder that at some point that morning, she'd have to actually get out of bed.

She sighed regretfully as she stretched, gently pulling his hands off her. Castle only managed a small pout before he was interrupted by another yawn. She took pity on him and climbed off, missing the solid form under her legs immediately. Not bothering with a robe, she slid out of bed and gathered the blanket she'd thrown haphazardly away before. She flipped it once, twice and allowed it to land neatly over Castle's sleeping figure and a small smile graced her features.

Despite his earlier enthusiasm, it seemed like Castle was already half sleeping, gravitating to the centre of the bed, tugging the covers over his still naked form. She studied him for a moment, revelling in the fact that she was actually _here_, in that particular moment in time, watching Rick Castle sleep in her bed, and she was _happy_. So very happy.

Even though she already knew it implicitly, it only further cemented the fact that she'd been ready for this – the idea of 'them' – for a long time. Beckett was no longer running from the inevitable, she was embracing it with open arms. His (God forbid) _love_ was addictive and even if he hadn't said the words out loud, she saw it belied in the way he looked at her, the way he always knew when she needed a hug or space away from people.

Shooting one last longing look at his sleeping form, she moved to her bathroom to start getting ready for another day of work.

00000

She heard a bullet connecting loudly against the piece of wall next to her head and she ducked automatically, cursing at the lack of room to move around. Another crack rang out through the abandoned warehouse, a cloud of dust burst over her head and she realised that she needed to get out of there, and fast. She'd lost track of Esposito and Ryan's position after the first flurry of bullets and she could only hope that they managed to find cover just as she did.

She poked her head out from under the overturned table, crouching low and making sure she was still hidden in the shadows. She could barely see anything and hoped that the same applied to the people shooting at her.

"We've got you surrounded – just show yourself and this will all be over!"

Esposito's voice was steady and clear, coming from several feet to her left. Mentally drawing a blueprint of the warehouse, she could just about estimate his general position relative to where she was.

"You think we're stupid, man? As if we're just gonna – HEY THERE!"

Another hail of bullets burst around her, sending her reeling back to her hiding spot – her heart thumping wildly beneath her chest.

"Sorry, Beckett – I think one of them spotted me," Ryan's voice whispered in her ear and she felt a wave of relief wash over her. Her team – all accounted for and very much alive, although still in danger. "We better move, they're gonna come looking."

She nodded and peered around the corner before inching her way out, silently padding along the wall and to where she thought Esposito's voice had come from. Her eyes had adjusted to the dim light and she could just make out his form, gazing steadily to where she supposed the shooters were.

"I got eyes on two, and the third one's walking around some place and unless they've got a stash of ammo somewhere, they don't have much left in their guns."

Beckett nodded and took her place next to him, Ryan swiftly bringing up her rear. "Third one is about five paces behind us, around the corner. Shoot to incapacitate only, boys. I need them alive today."

She crept up, fixing her gaze on the two silhouettes lurking in the distance. "I've got the one on the right," she muttered to Esposito. "Cocky bastard is all mine." He nodded beside her and took his position.

"Ryan?"

"Target acquired – ready whenever you are, boss," was his reply.

"Set then, let's do this. Three, two, one!"

The three of them sprang from their position, guns trained at their respective targets and bullets went flying. The thack-thack-thack of their bullets rained upon their unfortunate opponents and a barrage of yells and screams rang out around them.

"TAKE THAT, YOU SNEAKY BASTARD!" Esposito screamed, advancing with her to the two in front of them. Their guns were still in their hands, bullets spraying out occasionally as if to drill in their point into their opponents.

Beckett grinned at him in satisfaction and approached their fallen targets.

"You look cute in pink, Castle," she said as she took in her boyfriend, splattered with pink and yellow paint on his overalls and lying stunned on the ground.

"It hurts," he mumbled, poking his paint smeared clothing dejectedly. "And you weren't supposed to be there. You – you used your cop super powers against me!"

Beckett threw her head back in laughter, but held her hand out anyway, helping him to his feet. Two feet away, Esposito was doing the same thing for Alexis, pulling the girl up from the floor and wiping residue of paint off her face.

"It was _your_ idea to play paintball, hot stuff. I don't even know why you decided you'd go against three cops," she said. "What were you thinking?"

She let her gun dangle from the strap across her shoulder and she raised her hand to rub off a smear of pink from his jaw. Castle sniffled in exaggeration and his arms came to wrap around her waist.

"I was thinking maybe you'd allow your handsome boyfriend a chance to show off his manliness, instead of taking it away like you just did. You know they're all never going to let me live it down, ever."

She chuckled softly. No, they probably weren't, but only because it really had been his idea to play paintball with the three detectives, her, Ryan and Esposito against what he called the 'mere mortals' – him, Alexis and Lanie. He had pestered them for weeks, demanding they all find a common day off in their busy schedules to participate and eventually they all caved and took a Saturday to take up his challenge.

"I nearly got you that one time," he said as he released his grip on her waist and they both turned to walk towards the others, already gathered at the exit of the arena. "When you were getting under that table? I was too slow though."

"Nice look, Castle. You should wear pink more often!"

Castle glared at Lanie and glanced down. Indeed, his entire front was covered in pink, splattered with an occasional yellow spot from Esposito's gun. The Medical Examiner laughed.

"Kate went a little crazy I think," he muttered, glaring accusingly at his girlfriend, who just shrugged nonchalantly. "Shot at me even when I was on the ground. Crazy woman."

They all turned in their equipment and handed their overalls off to the attendant who was grinning in amusement at them. Granted, it wasn't everyday some famous celebrity requested the arena be booked just for him – it also certainly wasn't every day that three cops (complete with badges and guns) came in to actually play good naturedly with said celebrity.

Beckett settled herself into Castle's side as they walked back to their respective cars, his arm casually draped around her shoulders. Their subtle displays of affection were no longer strange to their co-workers and Beckett was relieved to finally see the end of the endless ribbing and joking. Alexis was huddled in close to Castle's other side and she could almost feel the smile that Castle was wearing, knowing that he took the most pleasure in having them both around him like that.

They got to her car and Alexis got in the back first, quickly leaning against the window and letting her eyes drift shut. Beckett stepped around to move to the driver's side of the car, but suddenly Castle's hand gripped her wrists and she stopped, turning back to him. She raised her eyebrows at him in question.

"Thanks for doing this today, Kate."

"Cas- Rick, you don't have to _thank_ me," she said softly. "It was fun."

"I – I just mean that … spending time with me and Alexis before she goes to college. It … it means a lot to me, to have you two here and … enjoying yourselves together."

The look on his face was one of bittersweet melancholy and Beckett wanted nothing more than to erase it from his features. She knew that the sudden interest in paintball had been more than a passing interest, and while she didn't think much of it before, she finally got it. Alexis was leaving for Stanford and he was trying to do all he can to maximise his time and enjoyment with her.

"You know I love to spend time with Alexis, you really don't – "

"I know … I just … you watch all my stupid movies just to make sure you can gang up with her against me when she argues about them. You discuss boring Russian literature with her, which makes her so happy, you spend your one day off to play paintball – I want you to know that I really, really appreciate it, Kate."

His forehead touched hers, eyes clenched shut against the intensity of the emotion that had threatened to spill over moments before and she raised her hands to grasp both his shoulders, pushing him back.

"I'm so in love with you, Castle."

The words slipped easily from her mouth, as if confessing her love was something she did on a regular basis. It wasn't though, and somewhere in her mind, there was a woman running around in sheer panic at her confession. Now though, as she watched his blinking eyes go from 'what the hell' to 'oh my god she just-no way!' she knew it had been the right time to tell him.

She'd known for a while anyway, known that Richard Castle was possibly her 'one and done' and it was only a matter of time before she found the courage to tell him. As he stared at her in pure, unadulterated wonder, she knew that she couldn't have chosen a better time to do so. Alexis was leaving, Martha was soon going to be involved full time with her acting school. At least now, now he knew for a fact that he had _her_, irrevocably and unconditionally.

"I'm _in love_ with you, Castle," she repeated when he failed to say a thing after a good few minutes. "I love you, and your daughter and your mother – and all your stupid movies, and games, how you hog the blankets at night, how you know just the right thing to say to me, how you make sure I'm eating properly, I _love_ you. Everything. Anything. So don't thank me for spending time with your kid, Rick. Because honestly, I cannot think of many more things that I would rather do with my time."

She sucked in a deep breath and then slowly exhaled, her eyes scrutinising him for a reaction. He was still staring at her with the same bewildered, awed look on his face and she sighed, leaning into him, enveloping him in a tight hug.

"Kate," he whispered hoarsely. "Kate."

"What, Rick?"

"One day, I'm going to ask you to marry me."

She stiffened at his confession, but then relaxed as she realise that the crazy panicked response she was expecting never came. Oh, how much she'd changed. She pulled him tighter against him, aware that they'd been standing outside her car for quite some time with Alexis sound asleep in the back seat. Her hands moved up to cradle his face as she pulled back to look him in the eyes.

He needed to see her when she said it.

"One day, Rick, I'm going to say yes."

00000

**End.**

_And so we've come to an end folks. I'm not sure if this is a great ending for the story, but … Rick Castle has been successfully 'courted' and that – my friends, is all that the story was really about. I hope all of you have enjoyed this journey, and that you will consider coming along on my future forays into the Castle fandom. Every review and alert has been really appreciated and I'm so happy that I have been able to share this with you. _

_So, review? One last time for this story? _


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